


To Love Holidays

by Hanamura_Masahime



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Best Friends, Comedy (for that one I tried really hard), Friends to Lovers, M/M, Romantic Friendship, Suspense (or so I tried), lots of friendship - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-12
Updated: 2016-06-20
Packaged: 2018-05-06 06:19:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 39,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5406239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hanamura_Masahime/pseuds/Hanamura_Masahime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yosuke's feelings about Yuu were still mixed up due to something that happened last year. The fact that Yu will be spending a whole month at his house will certainly not help him clear them up!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. August 4th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this story last year, on my [Fanfiction acc](https://www.fanfiction.net/~hanamuramasahime)  
> This is what I consider my best work so far. 
> 
> I apologize for any possible inconsistencies with the original story. This is a mere excuse for Yosuke and Yuu to express their deep love x3
> 
> I'll try to update weekly, altough the original story is finished in Fanfiction.

Nervous, he fidgeted and played around with his fingers inside his pockets, anxiously waiting by the single platform in the small station, as the sun set slowly behind it. His heartbeat quickened every now and then, whenever he would remember his face. Or the fact that they'd be spending a whole month together, living in the same house. Why couldn't any of the others come here today? Not even one. Why couldn't Dojima take him in? He should take responsibility for his nephew.

It was not that he didn't want to see him. On the contrary, he had missed the silver-haired a lot. Without Yuu, life in the village had returned once again to its usual dull and tedious state, and nothing significant had earned his attention. Yet, things had been awkward between them when they were alone, or rather, Yosuke had, since that had happened…

* * *

_It was the day after the school field trip to Tatsumi Port Island. They were walking to school together like every normal day. Except Yosuke kept pestering Yuu about what had happened between Kanji and Kuma in the club. He went on and on, for almost half of the way._

_"And now I fear that ero-bear would attack me as well!" He concluded his apparently last complaint with a shiver and a face of disgust._

_"Could you just get over it already?" Yuu's tone was one of bitterness, more than weariness, but Yosuke couldn't really tell._

_"No way, dude! It was too much for me! Seriously!" Apparently the brunette thought another grimace of revulsion was necessary to get his point across. "It's not like I want to discriminate, but gay guys give me the creeps, man."_

_"It's not that big a deal…" Annoying Yuu wasn't an easy task, yet his friend was filling him up to his limit. Yosuke simply wasn't able to notice the silver-haired didn't need to hear how repelled he felt._

_"NOT BIG?!" The other teen snapped. Thankfully it was still early and there weren't any people around to hear his outburst. "Bleh~~! Just thinking of another guy touching me…" He shook his head to that idea, as Yuu felt deep in thought. Downcast and with a low voice, the silver one adventured:_

_"Would that be so bad?"_

_"Uh?"_

_Without any more words, Yosuke felt his own inertia pushing his back against the wall and Yuu's body retaining him in place. His friend pressed their lips together in a gentle and short peck. Neither of them closed their eyes, so the cornered boy's widened orbs could see closely the sensual gaze falling over him._

_Normally, the shorter male would retort with whichever colourful name came across his mind, followed without a doubt by a shower of fists. However, the situation astonished him beyond reaction. "Y-Y-You…!"_

_Abandoning his sensuous pose, Yuu came back to his usual stoic and cool self, as if he wasn't the responsible of the previous scene. "See? Your face isn't rotting off or anything, is it?" He finally put some distance between them and resumed his way to school, talking as calmly as ever. "Kuma is just exploring his new 'features'. He is just a kid, so leave him be. And Kanji is a very nice guy, you've seen it. Plus, he's told you a million times he's not like that. So can we, please, drop the subject?"_

_He turned around to see Yosuke following him in an unprecedented silence for him. The teen wasn't really paying attention to whatever the other was saying, but wondering why it didn't feel as terrible and disgusting as it should have._

* * *

 

"Aaarrrgh!" He pulled his haired as punishment and shoo the thoughts away. Why did he have to remember it? Why did Yuu do something like that in the first place? Would he have forgotten about it?

Maybe Yosuke was the only one still spinning around the matter, but he always felt as if that matter had remained unfinished. Yet what was the point of bringing it up anyway? It could give Yuu the wrong idea that he wanted to repeat that.

_"Would that be so bad?"_

Before realizing it, he found himself rummaging Yuu's words in his mind.

"Damn it!" Again thinking unnecessary things. His foot unloaded his puzzled feelings against a rock, making it fly and bounce on the railways, just in time to make him set his sight on the upcoming silhouette of the express train. It kept approaching at such a rapid pace that didn't give Yosuke enough time to completely delete Yuu off his mind by the time the silver one was already getting off the wagon, carrying a heavy-looking bag and his natural calm expression.

"It's been a while." Yuu greeted with a soft smile that locked Yosuke's stare to his lips and rushed blood to his face.

"H-hey…" Yosuke muttered unconfidently.

"Your face is red, Yosuke. Do you have a fever?" Almost in slow motion, Yosuke could see the hand reaching to touch his forehead. For some reason those fingers, the single speculation of them brushing against his skin, made him fear to burst into flames.

With a swift move of his right arm, the smaller teen got to divert away the hand, while the left one delivered a soft punch to Yuu's shoulder. "Is that all you have to tell me after all this time?" He answered laughing falsely and loudly, enough to bury Yuu's surprise with it. "Why don't we head home? You must be tired, right? Let's go!" The words fell hurried from his mouth and his hand pushed Yuu's back in urge to leave the scene behind. "Why aren't you staying with your uncle, by the way? You didn't explain in your mail."

"Dojima's been working on some kind of difficult case. He told me he couldn't give me any more details." The newly arrived teen started to reveal. "He really must have his hands full, because he even sent Nanako to a holiday camp."

"Oh, too bad. I'm sure she wasn't happy when she found out she'd missed onii-chan's visit…" Relieved that the conversation had moved to less compromising subjects, Yosuke followed the way home in peace.

* * *

 

Finishing laying down the futon by his bed, Yosuke let himself fall onto it with a deep sigh of exhaustion. Yuu followed his example; it was to be his bed after all. "I hope it feels comfortable. This futon is kind of old." The brunette explained, a bit apologetically.

"Whatever is fine. Thank you." The other one awarded him with another one of his sweet smiles, making Yosuke look away a bit distressed. "But I was a little disappointed that none of the guys could make it to give me a warm welcome." His voice showed a soft trace of sadness.

"Well, everyone is working this summer. Yukiko and Chie are helping at the Inn… Kanji with her mom's shop… Naoto is with the police again… Even Kuma found a gig at Shiroku Pub at night, as dishwasher, besides his mascot job in Junes. So don't be surprised if he comes and glomps at you in the middle of the night." Yosuke grinned, knowing that even if it sounded like a joke, it would probably become true. "But we're throwing you a welcome party tomorrow night, once Rise has arrived too."

"Rise is coming too? Cool…"

"Yeap. She's thrown herself into her idol career. She's been doing a lot of commercials and appearances in talk shows, so she hasn't come back to town in a long while." A sigh of content escaped him. "Aaah ~ I still can't believe I went to school with an idol! I missed her so mu ~ ~ch!" He exaggeratedly rolled back and forth on the mattress, feigning melodramatic sobbings.

"Well, I can see you've been consoling yourself quite nicely." Yuu said, pulling a magazine of suspiciously stiff pages from under Yosuke's bed, entitled accordingly to the images of beautiful girls posing in various and voluptuous postures.

"Hey! Give me that!" The accused boy tried to snatch the volume from Yuu's hands, but said male dodged his intents dexterously.

"Come on, let me see." The silver was already going through the pages illustrated with different women. However, they all shared similar features: slender, petite, with chestnut hair and big sweet eyes; cute, yet with an unmistakable girl-next-door air. "So, is this your type, huh?"

"Mmmmh…" It's not like Yosuke had mindfully thought about something like a type; those pictures just felt more appealing than others and so he stole it from a rack in Junes. But now, what kind of people did he feel attracted to? Recently, to Yuu.

As soon as the idea popped in his head, he categorically needed to conceal it in the farthest corner of his conscience and changed the subject. "What is YOUR type, then? Did you meet anyone back in the big city?"

"No… I haven't really been looking." The questioned teen answered with embitterment. "I... mmm… don't like _feminine_ girls. I prefer someone who has more in common with me and who I can trust. I don't care about the looks." Yuu finished with what appeared to be the most ambiguous response possible.

And left Yosuke to rack his brains out about the identity of the one who took up Yuu's thoughts. Who was it? "Not feminine"… he had to mean… Naoto? _"Whatever, he'll get a hell of an unpleasant surprise if stills expects her to be unfeminine"_ Yosuke, though with a twitch of annoyance, letting it show through his face.

"Is everything ok?" Yuu wondered before the silence Yosuke had fallen into.

"Yes, I'm just tired, that's it. I'm going to sleep." And with that, he climbed up to his own bed and covered with the sheets up to his head.

"Do you mind if I have fun with your magazine for awhile?" The young in the lower mattress asked innocently.

"Of course I do!" Yosuke opened the sheets enough to stick his hand out and recover his private stuff, shoving it under his pillow. He could hear Yuu's soft chuckling as he too hid between the bed sheets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Tosh, my adorable and so helpful beta~!ฺ ✿ฺ


	2. August 5th

"SENPAI!" The moment Rise crossed the door, she glomped on Yuu, surprising the teen and making the other assistant girls a little uncomfortable with her boldness. "I've missed you the most!"

The lounge suddenly became much more animated with the idol's arrival. Yukiko had kindly lent one of the inn's meeting rooms, and most of the guests were already there. Yuu, Yosuke; a longer-haired Chie; a much more adult-looking Yukiko; a completely different Kanji, wearing glasses and dark hair now; a taller Kuma, who hadn't lost a pinch of his happy-go-lucky-essence.

"Rise ~cchin!" Yosuke saw the opportunity to take advantage of that confusion, to get a tiny bit of Rise's love by adding himself to the hug.

"Rise ~cchin!" The little blond bear mimicked his former house partner and jumped on the trio, not swiftly enough to prevent Yuu from abandoning the group hug, leaving the chestnut haired lass to her fate between the other two.

"Ah? Risecchin?" The idol asked, confused by the new nickname. "Nobody calls me that."

"So? It's a cute name. And you are so cute!" Yosuke attempted a second approach, squeezing the girl in a smothering, not quite romantic hug.

"Did you miss me too ?" Kuma would not be outdone and pressed her to her other side.

"Y-Yes… but you guys are hurting me!"

The following laughter diverted the attention from Yuu, who rose from his cushion to go and receive the figure standing silently by the door. She and Rise had arrived together yet the idol had captured everybody's attention.

"Naoto?" Yuu asked the girl, barely recognising his former schoolmate. Her hair had grown a few inches longer and she obviously wasn't hiding her attributes anymore. But there was something about her aura, her image, her posture that showed she wasn't the insecure person from before; she had become someone beautifully proud of herself. "You look… great." Yuu's eyes couldn't help but stare and he smiled widely.

"You think?" The young woman asked humbly, but unable to suppress her happiness of being accepted and acknowledged in this new facet of her life. A slight and pleased blush painted her cheeks above her broad grin; probably, the widest ever seen on her. "Well, a lot has happened in these months…" She added, averting her eyes, maybe remembering the reasons. It couldn't be helped; as independent as she acted, other's opinion had always carried a big weight that her senpai lightened a little more.

"I'm glad for you." The silver haired said, truly and honestly happy of this change.

However, all Yosuke could observe when he turned around while refusing to release Rise was a couple way too happy to see each other, and a sudden pang of jealousy forced him to leave his seat and interrupt them.

"Naoto! Come on, come in! You can't stand by the door all night! Let's get inside and start this party!" The brunette pushed her kindly and forced her to seat on his left, the farthest from Yuu that the little table allowed.

As soon as the greetings were made, Rise brought up the most important subject of the night:

"What are we going to do this summer? We have to do something fun and create a lot of memories with senpai before he goes away again!" Her initial energy dropped into a small pout by the end.

"Let's go to the beach again!" Kuma emphasised, jumping and raising and swinging his arms in the air. "It's summer and last time Naoto didn't come with us! Ow, it's too bad Marie is on her tour now… "

"Tour?" The silver haired wasn't up-to-date on the whereabouts of the emergent weather forecaster.

"She is on a tour visiting different news programs across the country. The word spread about her accuracy and her contagious mood-enhancing attitude and a producer came to the town to make that proposal." Yukiko explained patiently to the recent arrival.

"So, so, what do you say, Naoto?! We want to see your bikini model for this season!" The blond bear interrupted her to return to the main subject, looking inquisitively at the addressed girl.

Nevertheless, Naoto wasn't as fond of the idea as the bear. "Th-the beach…? With a s-swimsuit? I… I don't know…"

"You owe us, Naoto. After all you didn't let us see you in the contest last year." Yuu accused tauntingly from across the table, making the girl flush red in shyness and drop her eyes.

"Just leave her alone, ok? She can wear whatever she wants." Yosuke drew the subject to a close with a scolding and annoyed tone.

All of the guests, even Naoto, stared at the brunette in awe, probably wondering who was he and what had he done with Yosuke. "Usually, you'd be the most excited about this topic, Yosuke-senpai." Kanji dared to break the silence, though speaking in a low voice.

"Maybe I have matured!" The young male claimed, turning away, pissed and offended, even though he knew that wasn't at all the reason of his previous complaint.

After another short silence, everyone burst in laughter at that statement.

"Yeah, sure! YOU, MATURED! I don't think so!" Chie said with difficulty between guffaws. Yosuke only sent back a growl at them.

"Aaah~ Let's not be mean to senpai." Rise was still wiping a few little tears from the corners of her eyes. "After all, he'll get us his dad's beach house to spend the weekend, ne?" She finished with an engaging smile, taking him by the arm, pulling all her smoothness into that winning request.

"Do you have a beach house?" Yuu meddled, quite surprised.

"Yeah, don't think we don't know he's bought it!" Chie pointed to the brunette with an accusatory index.

"It was the talk of the town for almost a week." Yukiko added in a lower voice to Yuu by her side, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Beach house, beach house, beach house! We'll spend the night all together!" Kuma cheered, making his arms dance again over his head.

"Hai, hai!" Yosuke retorted with a tired and defeated tone, eyes closed to prevent him from giving in even more to the idol's charms, which was still clinging to him. "He won't agree easily, but I'll surely sweeten him up."

Rise let out a high-pitched squeal. "Thank you, senpai!" Followed with a small kiss on the teen's cheek that made his entire foul mood go away.

"Then let's make a toast!" Yuu raised his cup in a rush, and everyone imitated him at a time. "To summer holidays!"

"KANPAI!" The group of teenagers chorused, filled up with excitement, expectation and youth, but even if slightly, muffled by Kuma's cry of "To love holidays!"

* * *

Even at home, it was an exhausting task to simmer Kuma down after the party, and finally the two roommates remained up until the wee hours of the morning.

With a deep yawn, Yosuke put on his pyjamas. "That damn bear…! How long was he planning to party? He has too much energy for me."

"He was only excited that we're all together again. I was too, I've missed everyone." Yuu soothed his friend as usual.

"Me too." Yosuke had to recognize with a broad grin, as he submerged into the sheets. "Our holidays will be a blast this year! I can't wait! I'll try to convince my father to lend the house next weekend…" Yosuke's words faded in the air.

The speaking male shut his lips to the appealing sight before him. After Yuu's balletic fingers unbuttoned his shirt, they gracefully brushed his shoulders as they pushed the cloth down, exposing his chest and abdomen. His skin gave him the impression of a white piece of unblemished silk, flowing as he moved. He was much better built than last year, yet his body remained slender and elegant. He hadn't noticed how endearing his features were last night, as he was too busy laying the futon and preparing everything to accommodate his friend. It wasn't fair. The host would have to endure this view for a whole month and he thought bitterly that not only it wouldn't help him to get the silver-haired out of his mind, on the contrary, it made it harder and harder to stop seeing him in that sinful way.

"That would be great. The sooner, the better." Yuu put his head through the hole of the t-shirt and finished changing, unaware of the fact that his roommate was gawking at him, and got into bed fast. "I'm exhausted." The guest said to the unnoticed, speechless Yosuke. His eyelids fell like heavy curtains over his eyes and his consciousness disappeared with swiftness into the darkness of his tired mind.

His companion, however, wasn't as lucky. He remained shushed, hearing the other's respiration getting more paused and deep. He bit his lip, and finally, dared to speak, in a whisper:

"Yuu, are you asleep?"

"Yes…" The male below responded, barely understandably, as his lips didn't part completely to speak.

"Do you like someone?"

"U-nn…" Yosuke recognized the affirmative answer thanks to the slight movement of his head.

"Is it Naoto?"

Unfortunately, a snore was his only reply this time.

 


	3. August 6th

"Thank you for choosing us! Please, come back!" Yosuke greeted the last clients on the queue, as he delivered their order.

It was a beautiful day; the weather wasn't too hot and the sun didn't gleam too bright. It was the ideal day to spend out with friends, stroll around shops or have a cup of coffee out in the gentle wind. So apparently everyone in Inaba was doing it. Everyone except two young men, who had had the bad luck to get stuck in the fast-food restaurant of the only shopping centre of the town, attending the blithe passers-by which were able to enjoy their freedom.

Another part-timer was working along with them, but he was currently on his break. And Yosuke couldn't blame him for taking a pause from the swarm of people. Order after order, person after person, he was feeling the workload as well.

The heir of the mall exhaled a deep sigh and let his upper body fall into the cold counter dramatically before another client would get in the way of his peace. Maybe that poor man in front of the shop who had been staring blankly at the sky for the last half hour.

"Too much work…" Yosuke spoke as if a portion of his soul left his body with every word.

"Right? It's really busy today, even more than last summer. The town has grown a lot." On the other hand, Yu didn't seem to be so worn out. He just smiled unconcernedly as always.

His attitude proved a tad contagious and Yosuke's mood alleviated accordingly with the silver haired. For awhile, he simply admired his friend's ability to stay as cool as the breeze, whatever the situation that arose. He had a peculiar comforting energy that infected the heart of anyone compelled to choose to get closer to him, since people seemed more like being drawn; Yu was truly a formidable leader.

Along with that recognition, he noticed how much better the apron looked on Yu than on himself. Probably because his back was broader; his chest, stronger; his shoulders were better formed. And he found Yu's body inside his mind once more. Yet this time he was meditating about it, as another man, not regarding it as an object of desire. Perhaps it was because the clothing didn't allow the brunette to appreciate it completely; maybe, he was finally over with all that nonsense for good. _"I don't know what got into me last night."_ The host laughed inwardly. _"I was just making a humongous deal about it."_ Thankfully his head had attained to uproot the bizarre sentiments from his soul.

Which in its turn reminded him: Yu had never answered his question. Who was the person he liked? The brunette had completely forgotten from the moment he fell asleep; however the idea popped into his mind again and the ignorance ate away at his peace anew. It was her, he was sure… But for some reason, deep inside, his heart wished it wasn't. Should he ask? Or remain in the doubt? Anyhow, not knowing made him feel even more uncomfortable than raising the query. Half-willing, the younger male decided to just go ahead and deal with the answer:

"Hey, Yu. Last night, we were talking about something but you dropped off. Well…" The speaker took a quick deep breath to be ready. "I wanted to ask if…"

"Hello!" "Hi!" Two cheering female customers appeared just in time to interdict his trial. "Could you give us two coffees to go, please?" The older-looking one requested.

"Ah… sure. Right away." Yosuke answered with a fake smile. Then he began to prepare the orders through clenched teeth, while imagining internally a whole load of colourful and inventive insults for the two girls and their timing. If they had only come one minute later…

Yu was conversing in a lively way with the two young women to entertain them whilst the beverages were getting ready, ignoring completely the dark aura forming in the air around Yosuke in the far corner of the shop.

"Thank you for choosing us! Please, come back!" He repeated in a much less animated manner than the last time while delivering the orders, interrupting the chat. The girls grabbed their cups looking a bit offended and left without another word.

"Are you ok?" The taller male asked, tilting his head, sounding concerned.

"My back hurts from standing all day. I'm gonna tell the other guy to come back. I want to take a break, let's go." The irritated teen commanded the other to follow him with a signal of his head and headed for the back door. It wasn't still time for the poor part-timer to return, but Yosuke didn't really give a damn; the poor employee wasn't going to argue with the son of his boss, anyway.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Yu asked after a while of quietly wondering around following his friend.

"Don't worry, we're about to get there. Here." The brunette stopped in front of an open rusted sliding door. He checked right and left carefully for any possible witnesses and only once he was positive no one was around, he indicated they could enter the place.

It was an old looking storehouse, one of the last of a long line which extended from behind the shops. It was really dark inside, there where the light coming from the door opening didn't reach. The air was cold and moist in contrast with the fresh and nice one from the outside. And there were boxes; Yu could have sworn there were at least a hundred of different kinds of containers, crates, and packs, piled up roof-high.

"Why did we come here?" The guest inquired curiously looking through the labels. They all contained different kinds of drinks and beverages. His skin began to have goose bumps because of the chill atmosphere.

As an answer the brunette climbed up a one of the few crates illuminated by the few rays of sunlight that leaked inside and reached for something in an upper box that was already open. After a few moments of searching inside, his hand found the wanted object and he extracted it discretely to show it. A white can of beer hanged from his fist clenched around it. "Do you want some?"

The addressed male rapidly declined the offer shaking his head, with an evident look of surprise in his face.

"Don't look so distressed, dude." The brunette chuckled before such expression. With a soft groan, he sat on the crane on which he was standing; his legs hanging lazily. "Oh, finally! My poor back…"

"Since when do you drink?" The silver haired moved closer to his friend and leaned against the perpendicular wall from where the other one was sitting. The boxes by his side hid him from the glare, in a dark shadow triangle the light casted, and he became a little less visible for his partner.

"I sneak out here once in a while on work days." Yosuke started to explain, before sipping on the amber liquid. "I usually just steal one of these and drink it during break. The bad part is that I can't really relax since I'm on the lookout in case someone comes." He finished with a tilted smile and drank a little more.

"So you do it often?" Yosuke felt a tint of reproach in the question.

"Hey, don't judge me! A youngster's gotta have his fun, right? And honestly this is the only thing that raises my adrenaline in this God's-forgotten town…" He sipped again, yet this nip didn't taste as good as the previous one.

"What if they catch you?" Yu retorted in what started to seem an interrogation to the brunette.

"I don't know, my parents would scold me, at worst. They'd probably be more upset because I'm 'robbing' the mall, more than the fact that I'm drinking at work being underage. In any case, I don't really care." This time he tried to focus only on the bitter flavour of the drink and drown down this conversation which was on the right track to get to his nerves.

"You've changed…" The older one said in a melancholic tone.

"Yeah, well, I… I started to feel really lonely when you left." His tone felt sourer than the beer. Yosuke frowned and took a big swallow from the can. He thought it wasn't a valid justification, as he clenched his molars, upset. It was the first time either one of them ever recriminated the other about the distance that had been imposed between them.

The following silence made Yosuke wished he never had. He was aware it wasn't Yu's fault to leave the town; it wasn't his own fault to have to stay either. Still, it didn't make the situation less complicated and painful; and Yu's downcast eyes convey the impression that the native young man was not the only one affected by those complex feelings. He had even accomplished to ruin the collected Yu's pace.

What could Yosuke possibly say to break this faint crystal wall he had instantly raised between them? He weighed his possibilities as he continued to tipple.

He could perchance try to retake the mystery he had been trying to reveal. This was as good a time as any, or as bad.

He threw a fugitive gaze to Yu who still remained silent and still, looking troubled. Yosuke took a lungful breath to try and order the proper words inside his head. He then took another sip of the almost empty tin to delay his action a little bit more and give him a few seconds to finish the lines in his head. He was ready. His lips began to part and his chords started with a soft sound.

"So what did your dad say about the beach house?" Yu's question overtook Yosuke's, extinguishing it in his throat. After all, it seemed his friend had also been brooding over a possible conversation starter.

But why did it have to be in that precise second, of all the ones that ran pass the Earth? Were the stars aligning so Yosuke could not ever get the reply to that simple question?

"Umm… he said yes." Yosuke answered with a defeated smile. "We can go this weekend as long as we all behave." With a mouthful of beer, he finished the content of the can, in a clear disregard to his father's request of being good until said day.

"That's great news. The guys will be pleased to hear it." Yu answered with his first smooth smile in minutes.

In that moment, dim sounds of footsteps began to sound in the proximities. They grew louder and louder with each tread, so that only meant they'd be there any minute.

"FUCK!" Yosuke cried in a muted shout. "Where do I hide, where do I hide?" He examined the area, but there were only boxes, boxes, and boxes, piled against the walls. "Shit! No one ever comes here! I can't get caught! Aah~" He felt a strong pull in the collar of his apron and astonished, he dropped the can and the recipient rolled swiftly into the darkness.

"Ah! Did you hear something?" A faint feminine voice asked.

"Yes, I think it came from that storehouse." Answered a second one.

The steps became clearer. "Hello? Is anyone in here?" The first one questioned again into the darkened enclosure, earning only an answer from the sounds of her own echo.

The two girls disappeared once again into the distance as if nothing had happened, yet it had been very close.

However, Yosuke's thought were already far away from them to be a worry. His mind was set into something much closer than those women. The body of his friend cornered against the wall, trapped by his own arms. Yu had impelled the brunette against his own figure, concealing them both into the shadow casted by the crates. Yosuke hadn't had time to accommodate; the movement was so brusque that he only reacted to buffer the impact with his forearms and stopped merely centimetres away from the silver haired man's skin, almost brushing it with his own.

This closeness accelerated his heart in such a way that he could feel it pumping in his ears. An anxious feeling spread from the pit of his stomach and closed his throat. Yu was so near that Yosuke could even smell the mix scent of shampoo, cologne and sweat that diffused from his neck up to the encloser's nose. It was sweet and intoxicating.

Yosuke wasn't sure if it was the alcohol, but the heat radiating from Yu's body was blistering in that cold place. Or maybe, it was his own body the one that felt like scorching on flames? The brunette soon realized they hadn't been this close to one another since that day when they had shared that kiss, almost a year ago. Had it really been that long? Because he could sure still feel the sensation imprinted in his mouth.

Time had seemed to stop while he interspersed his gaze to Yu's eyes with stares to Yu's lips. In this sudden nearness, those lips seemed to be calling for him, about to open and utter an invitation he would not had been able to refuse. Slowly, that kisser formed the word he wanted to listen to…

"I think they're gone." Yu stated in a whisper, tilting his head to catch the sound of the now far-off females.

"What…?" Yosuke asked entranced, unable to comprehend that those lips were not demanding him.

"What?" Yu replied turning to his captor, confused before the eyes peering into his flesh. And the spell broke.

"N-no, it's nothing; you were just too close… I think I can move away now." The smaller male giggled nervously and separated from the wall, the body and the sweltering sensation. "We better head back before they return." He suggested, feeling his heart pounding hard enough to break through his ribs and chest. A feeling quickly quenched by the renewed tidal wave of messed up sentiments laying waste to Yosuke's recently found tranquillity. This was going to be a very long month for the host…


	4. August 11th The Morning

Yosuke opened his eyes to the morning light that leaked through the curtains. Once again, as soon as he woke up in the quietness of their room, an upwelling of confusion led him ruminate on the same thoughts he'd been encircling over and over during an entire week.

_"What are my feelings for Yuu? Why does he make me feel so insecure when I'm around him? What do I want to happen between us? I'm not a homo… Would he hate me if he knew how I feel? No, he is the one who started all this. He said he wouldn't mind, that it wasn't a big deal. He even kissed me…"_

He revolved around in his bed. He didn't want those thoughts today. Today was supposed to be a good day. They'd be departing to their holiday weekend at the beach. And thinking too much wasn't an exercise Yosuke was habituated to.

_"I'm not even sure I'm attracted to him that way."_ He concluded, frustrated, and turned away from the wall to face Yuu and confirm once and for all how unjustified were his concerns.

The display didn't help at all; if anything, it made it worst. Yuu had lost the sheets enveloping him and was sleeping completely uncovered. He was resting, stretched and relaxed as an angel with one of his hands cutely drawn to his face. His visage wore a pinkish blush and his lips twitched every few seconds. However, Yosuke wasn't locked on his expression, but on the reason for it. A few centimetres below the verge of his pyjama pants, his erection formed a very noticeable bulge under the cloth.

A warm wave went over Yosuke's body, from the base of his throat to his groin. _"I guess I am, after all."_ He accepted at last.

With studying eyes, he gazed across his friend's anatomy, scrutinising all his details, even so returning occasionally to the hard on. Every time he looked at it, it caught more and more his attention, as if the stiff organ was drawing him.

"…s…ke…" Yuu mumbled in his sleep, changing his face into a little bit more flushed one.

The brunette's heart stopped in panic for a moment. Maybe he'd heard wrong, but the other male's words sounded rather similar to his name. For that he was afraid that the other was awake and aware of his groping eyes. However, the silver one fell silent and stopped moving completely once again, resuming his rest.

Was Yosuke's mind playing tricks on him? He was sure Yuu was calling his name, but he wasn't awake. Maybe he had said something else. Or maybe, he was demanding for Yosuke in his sleep…

This idea gave the younger teen the wrong impression that he was allowed to intervene, then; after all, if it was _his_ name the one spoken, _he_ was who had led Yuu up to this state. It was his right. The thought became into a caprice and the caprice into a craving.

His doubtful hand slipped throughout the sheets. He swallowed hard, praying that the sleeping teen wouldn't wake up. Unsure yet of what he was about to do, his fingers landed on the erection and gently brushed on it, from the tip to the base. It felt hard, but the fabric covering it was soft.

A quiet whimper forced the young man to look up and meet an even more amazing sight. Yuu wore such a lewd expression: his cheeks redder; his lips pouting, hiding a soft moan that tried to escape him; his eyes shut even tighter seemed about to shed a droplet of pleasure; his chest rising a bit more agitatedly. He was the enticement itself, lying defenceless and unveiled, practically challenging Yosuke to sin.

"It's not fair. You can't make a face like that…" Yosuke reproached his friend in a murmur, simpering. Yuu was so unjust. If the brunette had any reluctance about his actions, the sleeping youngster had blown them away. It wasn't an equitable battle. Yuu's temptation had won the fight. And so, the beaten Yosuke's only comfort was the illusion of keep on admiring that lovely panorama.

Carefully, he looked for a way to surround the erection in the most complete way possible, as much as the fabric allowed his fingers. He even thought it would be better to just shove down the bottoms and grab what he wanted so eagerly to touch, but not yet. He still wanted to see a little more of the slumbering comeliness. He would at least feast his eyes before taking another brazen step.

Yet, his stare found inquisitive eyes looking back at him on its way up. Two grey orbs set on him, trying to penetrate into his soul to find out his motives.

Contrarily to Yosuke, who was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, Yuu only observed him curiously. His facial expression as blank as ever; only the remaining blush gave him a slightly different touch.

At first, Yosuke froze, unable to respond to the embarrassing situation in which he had put himself into. His heart pounded soundly in his ears and his pulse steady had begun to falter. Wisely, he began by releasing the silver's member from his grip, as swiftly as if he had just realized it was red hot, which ironically was the shade on his face right then. "I- I- I… I wasn't doing anything!" was his first clever justification. _"Idiot, he saw you!"_ He needed to find an explanation and it had to be fast. "I mean…" He was waiting for Yuu to burn up in anger, to beat the crap out of him, to insult him, to at least, interrupt him so he didn't have to keep on trying to explain his actions. "I saw you were hard and I just wanted to tease you." Yosuke spoke under his breath. It wasn't a complete lie, even if it wasn't the real truth. He only wished Yuu took the whole thing as a joke; although it wouldn't have been a very tasteful one.

"It's ok. I'm not mad." Serene and composed, the taller boy stood up and grabbed his clothes. To Yosuke's surprise it appeared that the attacked male didn't truly mind. Either that, or he was one hell of an actor. "Shall we go? It's about time we have to meet everyone." Yuu finished with a soft and collected smile before heading for the bathroom and leaving a big sense of emptiness in the room.

How could he be so cool even at a time like this? It was a quality the brunette would always envy. Yosuke let out a heartfelt sigh. _"I'd feel better if you'd get angry and punch me. If you don't… I might think that you reciprocate my feelings…"_ With that thought in mind, he landed a fist into his pillow and began to gather his stuff for the trip.


	5. August 11th The Afternoon

"Aaaaah~" Perched on a rock, Kuma started to shout at the top of his lungs in a very dramatic pose, pointing with his index up to the bright blue sky. It was a pristine day, not stained by even a single brush-stroke of clouds. A sure relief after the long and tiresome bus trip, which Kuma ensured to make even more wearying with his constant shifting from one sit to the other and his awkward questions.

"This is the moment when our youths reach their highest point!" The small blond exclaimed into the saline wind of the sea.

Yosuke's expression implied he didn't appreciate what he considered a poor and exaggerated impression of him from Kuma's part. Nevertheless, the cackling of Kanji and Yu celebrating it said it was quite accurate.

"This is the time to discover ourselves and explore the vast possibilities of luuuu~ve…" Kuma returned to his usual topic of interest, with a cheeky grimace. For some reason the brunette felt touched by that last sentence.

"What is that supposed to mean, perverted bear?" Chie's voice interrupted the petite blond's soliloquy from behind him and his public. The girl was standing with her hands on her hips, escorted by Yukiko; both of them wearing their swimming outfits. Certainly, they constituted a pleasant view.

"Oh, there they are!" Kuma jumped off the rock with a gracious somersault and landed at the girls' feet on one of his knees, making a profound reverence. "The bare sylphs who dazzle the beach more than any summer sun."

"Sylphs?" Chie asked oblivious to the new word.

"Bare?" Yukiko covered her body with her arms as much as she could, aware of the meaning of that other word.

"Where are Naoto and Rise?" Yu asked looking around for them.

Chie let out a tittering before Yukiko could answer. "Naoto felt suddenly very… self-conscious when she put on her swimsuit. She said she didn't want to come out and Rise was trying to convince her." The ivory-black haired beauty explained calmly.

"No wonder you took so long to come." Yosuke answered slightly annoyed. "What was the problem, anyway? The swimsuit doesn't fit her?" It was more a wish than a question. He couldn't abstain from hoping that Yu saw the girl in a less favourable way that she always looked.

"On the contrary, Yosuke~senpai!" The whole party turned around again to see Rise dragging by the hand a lava-red coloured Naoto. The short haired girl's eyes were fixed on the golden sand underneath her feet. However, her shame and lowliness didn't make her the least breathtaking. The young woman who everyone had been expecting wore a dark shaded tankini; the top was patterned with white polka dots and bottomed with a very short black skirt decorated with bows and ruffles that the girl constantly tried to pull down with her hand to cover her legs even one more centimetre. It made her appeal more obvious though she still looked elegant and demure.

"Naoto?!" Kanji's eyes practically ejected from their orbits and he pinched his nose to prevent any possible bleeding.

Kuma let out a saucy whistle and surrounded the female to observe all her new exposed angles. "Look at you, Naoto! Who knew you were working it under that boy's uniform!"

"I'm going back inside!" The girl had tried to avoid Kuma's sight to reach her more noble places. Before her futile efforts, she turned on her feet and headed back for the restrooms again.

Yet, a gentle hand on the shoulder and Yu's soothing smile stopped her from stomping away.

"We're sorry, Naoto." He seemed to pronounce her name with extra care. "We are just surprised because we've never seen you like this. But you look nice, so you have nothing to be embarrassed about." Yosuke thought that his tone was almost annoyingly gooey.

Naoto glared at the silver haired teen, unwilling to believe in his words.

"For real, Naoto!" Rise sprang on the girl, also grabbing her from the back, making her a bit more uneasy. "Actually, you are the one who makes us all look bad in our swimsuits!"

"Really!" Chie followed her. "Plus, we all want you to have fun with us today!"

"That's true!" Yukiko and the others went on, encouraging the girl. Except Yosuke, who hadn't spoken a word during the last couple minutes. In fact, he, probably more than Naoto, wanted to finish already with the subject of how gorgeous, perfect and adorable the androgynous female was.

With a sigh, said girl finally ceded to the group's insistence. "Ok, but I don't want anyone else staring at me…" She looked down, her eyebrows trying to knit, still deciding if that only clause would be enough for her.

"Then, let's go swimming! Nobody will see you in the sea, ne?" Yu's hand left the shoulder and looked for hers, while distracting her with his cloying grin. The short haired girl smiled back shyly and he took it as the starting sign to drag her sprinting to the shore.

Rise looked seriously outraged as she complained with some muffled whining of jealousy as both figures disappeared into the water. Nonetheless, the idol couldn't remotely match the sentiments boiling inside Yosuke's chest.

_"There he goes again"._ He though, frustrated and angry with the distant silhouettes of the two of them. _"What does she have that Yu has to treat her so sweetly?"_ Even if unfounded, what had happened this morning had lit a small spark of illusion for Yosuke; yet so, bigger that he would recognize to himself. But now, he wasn't so sure anymore. He did not earn the same gentle attitude, the tender smiles, and the inviting looks, as her. Suddenly, the brunette didn't feel much like having fun at the beach that day.

* * *

 

Yosuke maintained firmly on his attitude for a long while that afternoon. The brunette was a scowling ball below the beach umbrella; one too stubborn to enjoy with the rest of his friends and spend a nice time anyway. He glowered at the cause of his bad mood from behind his folded forearms, resting on his knees.

He was as immobile as the woman lying down on the sand on the other end of the beach since they got there. It was hard to tell if she was sunbathing or dead, especially because her outfit wasn't really appropriate for a day by the sea.

Just what the hell were both of them talking about for so long? What was so secret, so intimate to have them apparently whispering with their faces gathered so close that they could count each other's pores? Yosuke could see them discussing something allegedly important, each one holding on to each side of a lifebuoy. Every time either one of the two teenagers grimaced or gesticulated, he reckoned how many more millimetres they approximated. He wanted to separate them so intensely; if it would have been possible, he would have built a wall right in the middle of the sea between them.

A painful flick on his temple drew the teen out of his tormented thoughts abruptly. Already upset, he turned around ready to punch Kuma in vengeance for hurting him unnecessarily. However, it was Rise's figure that stood by his side and startled him.

The idol observed his upper classmate with a wide grin and threw him an impish wink that made it absolutely impossible to get mad at her. Plain people were simply no match for a pro celebrity.

"What's going on, senpai? Don't you want to come and play with us?" The beautiful lass enquired, inclining forward into a very clever persuading posture. Even so, it wasn't enough to arouse Yosuke's enthusiasm.

"Nothing. I just don't feel like playing right now." The male answered huskily facing to the front again, not averting his eyes from the couple floating among the soft waves.

Rise followed his gaze and her eyes also landed on the murmuring pair. The girl let herself fall elegantly by his senpai's side. "Are you angry with Yu ~senpai? Were you expecting him to spend more time with you?"

"Mmmm… something like that." Yosuke answered grudgingly.

"Oh, are you jealous of Naoto, senpai? That's so cute!" The teen idol leaned over the boy, content with this sweeter side she had come to find, almost brushing her chest against him. But not even that was enough to excite and dispel Yosuke's mind away from Yu.

"Ne, what if we go meddle in?" Yosuke looked at the girl shocked, unsure of her intentions. "They look so close they're starting to bug me too. Come on, let's go!" With a mischievous smile, Rise grabbed the male's arm and pulled him to begin their dash into the ocean, without any resistance from him; the idol's devilish idea had suddenly risen up his spirit. "Let's surprise them from under the water." His joke partner proposed before diving down into the depths.

"Wait, Risecchin…!" Yosuke followed her hurriedly, trying to catch up with her pace, until he was able to detect Yu's legs between the dim rays of light illuminating the salty water.

He sank a few feet deeper to upsurge in a swift charge, strong enough to elevate him a few inches from the surface and be able to submerge Yu from his shoulders. Their synchronized timing let him see a very scared Naoto, screaming a high-pitched cry before the liquid engulfed her, being hauled down from her legs.

Rise emerged in her place out the rough surface with her dampened hair sticking to her face and a burst of guffawing, which soon spread to Yosuke, as the attacked individuals came out of the water. Angry at first, they tried to protest that such a prank was dangerous and childish, but soon the laughter infected them as well and they gained on their assaulters' state.

"I'm sorry, Naoto~kun! You two looked so peaceful that we were tempted to bother you!" The chestnut haired star apologized after awhile of chortling and merriment, surrounding the other female with her arms below the ocean water. The short haired one flushed pink for a moment. "The other girls and I are going to buy some frozen ice-cream. Come with us!" Without her companion's consent, Rise hauled the girl and left the two male teenagers behind. Before they disappeared out of sight, Rise turned back and dedicated a fleeting wink to her brunette senpai.

Yosuke smiled back at her, truly grateful with the luminary. Appeased and content, he finally turned to the object of his uneasiness to found out how appealing he looked. His haired was soaked, giving it a deeper shade of grey that looked charming on him; a few quick drops slid down his delicate features and leapt back into the ocean. How stupid and thankless were those droplets for leaving his skin. Deep down, Yosuke wished he kept gazing at the far-off young women, even for a few more seconds, so he could admire him a little longer. However, his silver eyes met his in the same way they had this morning, curious and scrutinizing.

The now faced teen realized he was staring and averted his sight rapidly, before the other could notice the slight blush on his cheeks. He had Yu all to himself now but he didn't know what he wanted to do with that anymore. A bit shyly, the brunette finally decided to open the conversation. "So… what were you two talking about for so long?" He asked cloaking his eagerness to know it.

"Mmm… a lot of things." The sliver haired answered with disinterest.

Yosuke felt a pang of annoyance. It was so typical of his interlocutor to say everything with that unreadable face and enigmatic and vague words. But in this situation Yosuke couldn't help but imagine he was trying to hide something. What if it was… a love confession? He had to know what it was.

"Come on, tell m… Pfhm!" His objection was chocked by an acrid jet of water expelled from Yu's hands right into his mouth. The saltiness of the liquid unleashed an attack of retching that almost made the teen forget about staying afloat. On the other hand, Yu's expression had changed into a much more lively and joyful one, as he had fun at his friend's expense.

"You…!" Yosuke went after his teaser, enraged. For the moment, he kept giving chase and Yu kept eluding his attempts. Yet Yosuke's bitterness had fled from his heart now that at least he had a wee bit of his attention, even if it wasn't the amount he would have liked. But it didn't matter that much either; he would have him all to himself tonight in the bedroom only they shared.


	6. August 11th The Night

The rest of the afternoon had passed more calmly for Yosuke's smoother mood. But just in case, he hadn't left Yuu's side at all: he'd played all the beach games in the silver-haired's teams, seen him to do some shopping, even offered to help him make dinner with the girls and basically anything else that prevented any kind of intimacy between the visitor from the big city and Naoto.

The girl had become the target of his anger, it was true, although, she was not to blame. In reality, it was the uncertainty what annoyed him. The impossibility to understand his own feelings, his own heart; his own thoughts, his own mind. It was the dread of being, or accepting he was, in such a state because of another man. And worse than that, the man was his best friend.

He wasn't even sure about his own sentiments, but he was positive he didn't want ANYONE meddling in his swell of confusion until he had figured them out, including the short haired girl. Specially the short haired girl.

The events that morning had been a slip-up induced by an unbridled fantasy that had brought him a little closer to the light; a light he still wasn't absolutely sure to be strong enough to face directly. Fantasising was fine (or rather, inevitable), but he couldn't allow getting swept again to the point of committing another absurdity he might regret.

A lazy yawn slid between his lips. An agitated and hot day combined with too many strong emotions had exhausted all his energies. If he could just sleep on it...

Those were not Kuma's plans, though. "Hey! You can't be sleepy already! It's our only boys and girls night together! We have to play!"

"Ok, what do you want to play?" Chie asked curiously, always ready for a competition.

"Spin the bottle!" The blond shouted raising a plastic bottle up to the roof in his hand.

"Of course not!" The short tempered girl rapidly snatched the recipient from the enthusiastic boy and struck him on the head with it, making a resounding noise.

"Itte..." The bear rubbed his scalp for a moment where the plastic had hammered him. Yet it wasn't enough to deter his ardent will. "Then what about 'Kiss-roulette'? 'Twister'? '7 minutes in Heaven'?"

With an enraged growl, the short haired interlocutor leapt over the cheeky bear's neck and started to strangle his insolent ideas away, as everyone laughed in approval. The girl was acting on everybody's behalf when she made clear it wasn't the kind of games she was interested in.

"What about 'Never Have I Ever'?" Rise proposed out of the blue, once the attacking female let go of her grip on Kuma's throat.

"Isn't that a drinking game?" Said girl enquired, cracking her recently used knuckles. "We don't have any alcohol here. Neither can buy it."

"Actually..." Yosuke implied before abandoning the group, sprinting out of the room, leaving a giant question mark swinging over his friends' heads.

"What's with him?" Chie raised the question, suddenly feeling like killing all of her mates.

The answer didn't take too much time to appear before them. Yosuke was soon back from his bedroom into the living room, carrying a heavy-looking bottle. It was filled with a transparent liquid that resembled water, which, however, appeared a lot more intimidating to the presents.

"What is that?" Naoto asked with her party-killing mood.

"Vodka." Yosuke answered as if the answer could not be more obvious, full of himself, and all the teenagers let out a low gasp.

"Where did you get that?" Chie interrogated.

"Junes." The teen smiled broadly and he let himself fall back on his previous spot on the couch by Yuu.

"Yosuke-kun, you seriously have to stop robbing your parents' store." Yukiko scolded in her always patient tone.

"Sure, this is the last time." The brunette answered sarcastically. First Yuu, now Yukiko… He was starting to get bored of his friends turning against him.

"Yay! Now we can play!" Rise exclaimed, putting his palms together and resting her cheek on the back of her hand in a coquettish gesture.

"I don't know…" The young detective waded into the conversation again. "Remember what happened the last time Rise and Yukiko _thought_ they drank? They are going to end in a poorer state if they actually consume inebriant beverages this time. " All the inculpated girls could retort with was a reddened face one, and a vexed "HMPF!" the other.

"Plus, that's hard stuff." Kanji pointed worried at the bottle again.

"You only need to take a small sip, right?" The homeowner clarified, while the still irritated Rise declared a faint _'Of course not'_. "Come on, guys. What happened to living the youth?"

"Yeah, what happened with that?" The little blond bear chorused Yosuke, bringing a handful of cups, ignoring completely and putting an end to the precedent discussion.

Once everybody had a cup in their hands served with a large load of vodka, the game was ready to begin. The anticipation had come to its end. Yosuke observed some doubt in Yuu who seemed uneasy with the liquor in his hands.

"Yukiko-senpai, why don't you start?" The idol suggested to the black haired girl on her left. "You have to declare something you have never done and those who have, must drink. Bottoms up." She finished with an imperative glare to all the teens sitting in a circle.

"I think that is when you have shot glasses, Risecchin…" Yosuke advised, looking reluctantly at his own glass full of crystalline liquid. It felt kind of threatening now with the perspective of gulping it down at once.

"No." The girl responded curtly and capriciously, not giving place to any kind of argument. "So, go ahead Yukiko-senpai." She then added with a much more honeyed tone.

"Ok. I've never…" The designated starter put on a serious, circumspect, almost conflicted face while she thought of a possible statement. "…been outside the country?" Yukiko finished insecurely.

"Tche… You are so boring, Yukiko-senpai!" Rise complained once more. "You are supposed to ask sassier questions! For example, 'I've never seen someone of the opposite sex in underwear.'" Before any cup reached any lips, she hurried to add: "In REAL LIFE. Yosuke-senpai's magazines don't count."

The brunette glowered at the teen star before proceeding on his way to drink. He tried to swallow the alcohol chugalug but more than liquid it felt like fire pouring down his throat. Restraining his coughing and heaves, he went as far as his body endured it, just to find out that he had only gulped about half of it.

Other cups rose along with his. Some hesitantly, some shyly, some brazenly; some surprised Yosuke. Yet none of them descended completely empty either.

"Now it's my turn!" Kuma jumped in his place with excitement. "I've never…" The petite blond thought with his index resting on his pouting lips in a moe thinking pose. "…ah! Skinny dipped!" He finished with a broad grin aimed at the ex-blond on his right.

"That's a good one!" Rise celebrated the idea with a giggle. The only one who wasn't laughing was Kanji, as he took another big gulp of liquor with difficulty.

The questions succeeded one after the other as the teenagers revealed less and less glamorous details of their lives. As expected, alcohol kicked in fast in their young bodies. Yosuke soon find it hard to control his balance as much as his emotions, letting out hysterical laughters to some of the confessions, which made the entire room spin before his eyes. However, his state went unnoticed because all of his friends were in a similar or worse situation; also Yuu, whom he kept attentive trace of.

The inhibitions dropped like moths charred in summer bonfires and the declarations became more audacious. They went from smoking and been to jail to cheating and even Yuu surprising everybody, making his companions reveal how many of them had slid beyond first base with someone.

It was a rejoicing of hilarity, red faces, secrets and fun. But it only took one time to pour salt on the wound, to make the wrong question for ruining everything.

Chie raised her cup announcing her turn and cleared her throat with a mischievous smile. "I've never made out with anyone…" She stated.

The other players looked at each other confused; they've been in that topic already and Chie had already expressed a positive answer in that subject. All raised their glasses, but before they touch any mouth, the short haired girl added hurriedly: "…of the same sex."

Yosuke felt his blood freeze inside his veins. He felt trapped, as if facing a blind alley. Should he drink? Or should he pretend to have forgotten? That it had never happened? That this simple deed wasn't corroding his insides? For now, he wasn't going to act until seeing Yuu's reaction.

As expected, most looks focused on the obvious drinkers, Kuma and Kanji. The first one wearing a seductive and taunting smirk towards the other; Kanji, for his part, quickly turned red of anger and embarrassment. The damn bear didn't regret it a single bit. "You, bastard…!" For the second time that night, Kuma saw his neck assaulted, except that in this occasion the hands were stronger and far more furious.

In that confusion, Yosuke's eyes looked furtively for the grey ones; only to find them returning the gaze and giving him a start. Yuu smiled nonchalantly at him, devoid of emotions as much as Yosuke was overwhelmed by them. The silver one didn't show a shred of the fear the brunette felt with that dare. It was Yosuke and only Yosuke who felt so strongly about their kiss. It was obvious now, he thought as his roommate raised the glass and sipped calmly. If that was the case, the brunette should let go of his dilemmas and illusions and drink as well…

Trembling hands lifted the cup, hoping the distraction the other two were causing would give him time enough to take a nip without being discovered.

But before they could reach their destination, Rise let out a high-pitched fangirl squeal, looking their way. Enthused, the girl crawled on the floor all the way to her senpais' feet, drawing all the eyes along with her. Yosuke's cover had been blown away.

"Did you guys really kiss another boy?" The celebrity inquired, absolutely delighted. And a torrent of questions soon followed that one, as she flapped her hands. "Why did you do it? Was it long ago? Was it good? Did you like it? Who was it with? Do you like that person? Are you gay?" The girl kept asking, tactlessly. Until it was beyond enough.

"SHUT UP!" Yosuke yelled his lungs out at the girl. It was too much to take; the knife had been twisted in that wound unbearably. Those were the answers he couldn't even give to himself.

Not only Rise, but everyone else felt completely silent with his shout. He looked so menacing that even the air in the room turned thick and tense. The idol by his feet looked like she was about to cry, but he didn't care; she didn't need to be so pushy about it, and he had no intention to apologize. "Just… Forget about it, ok? This is a stupid game anyway…" And with that, he dashed unsteadily back into his room.

With his clothes still on, he dove into the lower bunk bed and covered up with the sheets, as if that tenuous wall would conceal him from the world beyond his mattress. From all the revelations he didn't want to confront, but that he found once again inside his mind to no end, biting his lips to restrain a rebel tear.

_"I wasn't the one to do it, he… it was his fault. And I did like it… and now I like him too… But, fuck, I'm not gay... What would have Yuu answered if I didn't stormed out? He doesn't seem to care… I'd really like to know what he feels…"_

In that moment, Yuu came into the room and Yosuke turned around and faced the wall before the door was completely open. Why now of all times did he have to come here? Yosuke hadn't still gathered the strength to ask and dissipate his doubts.

"Yosuke, what happened?" He could guess Yuu's concerned face behind him.

Only the silence responded him. It seemed the brunette was planning on ignoring him. Yuu wasn't as dumb to believe his roommate had fallen asleep immediately after that terrible outburst in the living room, even with the considerable amount of alcohol in his system.

"Why did you leave like that?" Yuu continued, sitting by his side on the edge of the bed.

"The one you made out with is me, right?" The silver's voice became more sorrowful each time the quietness rejoined him in the dark.

"I'm sorry for doing it…" He tried one last time with the hope an apology would obtain a different result than the questions; but Yosuke still disregarded his efforts.

"I didn't know you hated it that much…" Yuu left that phrase hanging in the air, tinted with an overflowing sense of affliction and anguish, and with that he climbed into the upper bunk. The sound of falling clothes onto the floor and sheets revolving were his good night greeting.

Yosuke continued noiseless, chewing on the words he hadn't been able to express to his friend. His intention was never to ignore him. The troubled teen just couldn't find in time the courage to face up to him. And because of his cowardice, he had hurt Yuu again, like in the storehouse. This wasn't the way he had thought his night with the silver haired would go.

Only once he thought the male above him was sleeping, even though the chance had escaped him, Yosuke muttered weakly what he was trying so desperately to get out of his chest. "I didn't hate it. That's why I'm so upset. I liked it… a lot."

And since he was in the lower bed, he failed to notice Yuu's wide open eyes.


	7. August 12th

Yosuke's dream was confusing but pleasant, yet it suddenly became… wet? The setting turned into something enigmatic and the plot changed. Now all he knew, all he felt, was the dark wetness. The wetness and the warmth. The wetness, the warmth and the movement. Was he moving? No, something was moving over him. On him. Where was it touching him? Maybe he should keep sleeping; since it was nice; pleasurable; rapturous. Where did he feel warm? His chest? Yes, but not mostly there. Maybe it was… below?

With effort his eyelids broke apart and his still half-hidden pupils followed the path down his torso. Further down, they met something odd. A mouth encroaching upon forbidden territory. And his eyes opened wide, now absolutely awake.

His reaction was automatic and definitely not the wiser one, as he was about to find out.

Alarmed, he unwittingly pulled on the silver mane to try and take the transgressing mouth away from his most intimate nook. So unhappily that the astonishment and the pain made Yuu's teeth clench around his manhood before dragging him far enough.

Yosuke had to stifle his yell against his palm not to wake the entire house and coiled up into a ball on the corner of the bed. His eyes moistened with a droplet of ache. "Fuck…" The brunette exhaled a few deep breaths to overcome the painful throbbing sensation and sat on the bed with his back to Yuu, rubbing gently the mistreated area.

"Are you OK?" Yuu's cold voice sounded slightly anxious and embarrassed.

"Yeah…" Yosuke said out of courtesy, but examining the clear red marks on the soft skin. His dick was still sore, but slowly, the pain was receding. "Just what the hell were you doing?" The suddenness of the events hadn't give him too much time to considerate the oddness of the situation. Many hypotheses wove in his mind and he found them all heartening, they had to be.

The answer was delayed, and instead Yosuke felt the pressure of supposed knees and wrists caving into the mattress. Even so, Yuu's breath tickling on his ear startled him.

"Payback…" The silver haired began whispering. "… for yesterday morning."

"SON OF A BITCH!" The chestnut male turned around and delivered a punch right to the other's face, as his partner should have done the previous day, but as usual, it was dodged with a chortle.

Yosuke was far more than frustrated and angered. If all of this had been a joke, Yuu hadn't any idea how much he was playing with his confusion. To get away of that heartache he kept on attacking him over and over, wrestling and trying to force him, rolling back and forth over the narrow bed. Unfortunately, his opponent was bigger and stronger than him, and soon Yosuke was subdued by the weight of the other body, gasping difficultly.

That's when he felt something against his trapped leg. Something firm was pressing on his flesh. He had felt it abundantly and recently enough to realise what it was. He stopped fighting back and the clutch on him lost some strength.

"Yuu, are you hard?" Yosuke asked straight forward. After both of their audacity, there wasn't much room for shyness. "Because of that?"

The victor's expression darkened a little. His jaw tightened up and he released the defeated male from his strain, raising his body away from his a few centimetres, avoiding the shameful touch.

"Oh… mmm… Un." The silver finally nodded in response.

Yosuke's eyes lit up a bit.

"Why? Were you… enjoying it?" The speaker looked for Yuu's lost contact. He lifted his upper half, propping up on his elbows and approached the silver haired again, until he could feel the heat radiating from his skin. They were talking barely few inches away from each other.

The male on top made a dubious pause.

"Kind of…" Whether it was because he meant what he did in a romantically way and didn't want to be discovered or weather his joke was getting out of hands, he seemed to be uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was going.

However, it was too late for Yosuke to change the subject now. He wanted, he needed to know so desperately. It was now or never; he had to gather his courage and find out once and for all.

"Do you like me?" Anxious, he squeezed the sheets underneath his fingers. The anticipation for the answer made his heart quicken. But whatever the reply was, positive or negative, it would bring him peace and would erase the lingering doubts.

For a split second, the interrogated male looked down and when he looked up again, he wore a completely different expression.

"You sound like a girl. You are not going to ask me where our relationship is going next, right?" He retorted with a fake smile hanging above gloomy eyes, avoiding the answer in the same skilful way he eluded the fists.

"Yuu, I'm serious." If the one nearest to his heart didn't realise how important that response was to him, then Yosuke was going to make him understand. "Do you like me?" He repeated, firm in his stance.

This time, Yuu's face turned more earnest and he swallowed hard, peering straight into his eyes with his frozen silvern orbs.

"Yes." The long-awaited word came out in soft tones.

Yuu's gaze revealed a mix of sadness, fear and relief, probably the same gaze Yosuke was returning to him. Nevertheless, what Yosuke felt the most was happiness. The blissfulness only felt when one's feelings are reciprocated.

Then softly, slowly, timidly, Yuu moved and the distance between them became zero.

Just as Yosuke remembered, his lips were smooth, warm and sweet. A delicate caress, evanescent like the brush of a feather. As gently as they have joined, the lips met only a few more times and the kissed came to an end.

Unsure of their next step, both teens stared at one another, so close that their respirations fell into the opposite mouth.

The brunette felt the soft graze of Yuu's hand sliding up his thigh, riving the tenderness. Right before invading private lands again, it stopped. Without pulling back, the silver ventured still faintly: "Do you want me to go on?"

The bottom male felt the heat rise to his cheeks before that sudden and bold question. "I don't know…" He replied, honest and flushed, in a murmur. Everything was suddenly going too fast too soon.

"Then I will." Yuu let him know his intentions determinedly and with a little kiss goodbye, he began the descent down the body of his friend.

As he climbed down, the brunette could feel each one of the muscles of his figure tensing and stiffening, and for a moment he feared the most important part would not be able to harden up with his nerves on the edge. The rapid palpitations of his heart bordered on the tachycardia. His sight stuck on the tie beams of the upper bunk and he waited with bated breath, letting the other do at will.

Before long, he came to find how mistaken he was. Just the sensation of those cold hands exposing him to his partner's eyes made the arousal tickle in his groin. Even more when they caressed his sex kindly and he perceived himself becoming hard between them. Especially, when they were finally replaced by what he eagerly expected and an abrupt gasp compressed his lungs.

Yuu's mouth felt as snug as it did on his lips. It was so cosy and tight that forced Yosuke to half-close his eyes and let himself get lost in the ecstatic touch.

The male on top began by playing with the tip, licking it or rolling his tongue around it. Then he went across the entire length, brushing its sides with his lips as his tongue drew circles, going forth and back against the rest of it. It was a bit awkward and inexperienced, however the male being pleased didn't have any point of comparison, so for him there was nothing but pleasure. Only when Yosuke felt his anxiety about to explode, he hid the erection inside his mouth completely.

The brunette bit his lips and held back an impulsive moan. He didn't want to emit any noise to make worse the embarrassment of the situation. His own embarrassment, since Yuu appeared to be perfectly comfortable savouring his hard on as vigorously as the starving would cling to the food. At this point he couldn't distinguish if that made it easier or harder for him.

And so he remained in complete silence the whole time, except for a few tremors whenever Yuu would go over the spots he already figured Yosuke took more delight in. The brunette's only sign of approval was his loving hand placing gentle caresses on the silver strands bobbing.

Never in his life had Yosuke experienced such a thrilling and exciting touch. The sensuous and erotic stimulation had nothing to do with his own self-satisfaction. Principally because only by casting his eyes downwards, Yuu's form composed a live spectacle much more arousing than any image he had ever fantasised with. It never occurred to him that he could feel so aroused with a simple sneaky glimpse down.

Every action was so new and strange in a marvellous way. For example, the unfamiliarity of his penis jouncing against the inside of the cheeks; or the unaccustomed brush of Yuu's pants turning cold in contact with his drenched skin.

The heat pooled up inside him every time Yuu traced him up or down. The hotness of their actions fused with the high temperature in the room. Warm drops of sweat merged into bigger ones on their foreheads. The ardour burned Yosuke to his limit.

"Yuu… I'm… about to…" He tried to sound calm as he warned his friend about the imminent dénouement, but his wavering voice failed him.

"It's ok." Yuu released the organ from his lips for a moment to speak, although keeping it close to him to proceed once he was done with the talking. "You can come into my mouth…"

"The hell I will." The pleasured teen retorted laboriously. He could let Yuu see him, touch him, suck him, but that, he wouldn't. That's where he drew the line.

Carefully, he took his pleaser by the chin and pushed him away when he felt about to explode. It only took a couple of jerks from his hand and he climaxed with a faltering moan into his opposite palm, covering it with his orgasm, thick and dense due to all the desire accumulated through the days since the silver's arrival.

With his heart still pounding and his strength abandoning him, he let his body lie down once again on the bed, to enjoy more agreeably the result of his first sexual intimacy yet boiling and spreading across his figure. His hand rested alongside him, carefully avoiding the content from spilling onto the sheets. A muzzy smile appeared on his face and he didn't even try to suppress it.

It infected Yuu as well, and he grinned back at the brunette, still placed between his legs, while cleaning off of his face the rests of their affair. His sight leapt from his partner to the teen's stained hand. He reached for it slowly and drew it to his swollen lips.

"Don't even think about it." Yosuke saw very well what Yuu's intentions were and he snatched the hand away before he could carry his purpose out. He got up from the bed and head to his bag pack in search of some tissues before his friend could come up with any other brilliant and disturbing idea.

As he wiped off the cum about to spill from his palm, the heat dropped and the embarrassment filled his mind again. What was he supposed to do next? How should he face his friend now? Maybe… would Yuu be waiting for him to do the same? He held his come back up as much as it was credible, until he was about to rub off the skin itself.

"We should get going." Yuu's voice startled him from behind and forced him to forget about his reluctances and turn around. "We have to enjoy our last day at the beach." The silver smiled.

"Sure." Yosuke spoke calmly. He felt his spirit left his body because of the relief that Yuu didn't expect him to perform the same act on him. "Do you want some breakfast?" He tossed the used papers into the little trash can at his feet.

"Mmm… yes." He answered naughtily. "I would like to have some… sausage?"

"Idiot." Yosuke sank his elbow mildly into the jester's ribs, while opening the door, not fancying the joke at all.


	8. August 13th

Yosuke took a quick look around before entering through the door. The living room, the kitchen, the stairs, everything was in complete solitude. There was no trace of his mother, though she would probably come soon with the dinner; his father, who was probably still at Junes… or Yuu.

Only when he was certain the zone was clear of danger, he got inside, hung his apron on the coat stand and sighed. He was exhausted, maybe because of the lack of sleep, but mostly because of the mental stress and the efforts of escaping from Yuu.

Now that feelings were spoken, Yosuke felt relieved. It wasn't as if he had figured out his own sentiments, but knowing Yuu's had given him some sense of certitude, for about five seconds. Then  _that_ happened, and he just wasn't sure how to act around his silver friend anymore. Or were they more than friends now?

Yosuke had gotten caught up by the moment and allowed Yuu to do it. Even if he didn't have a clue about how far he wanted to take his ludicrous daydreams. Even though he might have been fooling around with Yuu's feelings.

He had considered carefully whether it would be better to carry himself as usual and leave it as a onetime thing or whether to behave more intimately with him. He hadn't come to any satisfying answer, and so, he was all the way back to square one. Not knowing. Not sure.

His friend hadn't demanded anything from him and as grateful as he should have been, that only left him at a crossroads.

It shouldn't be this difficult. Yosuke had liked it; and now he knew Yuu wanted it too. However, the status quo of their relationship had been so simple and perfect until yesterday that he feared the change.

As a result, Yosuke had pulled all the opposite tricks to those used on Saturday; he had done everything within his reach to avoid being left alone with Yuu. Yesterday, he had gone upstairs to sleep much later than midnight, despite the fact that he was wearied and had to wake up practically at daybreak, and slipped right into bed. Today after his shift, he had offered himself to take inventory of the sixty containers delivered that afternoon, almost giving his father a heart attack of joy.

He climbed lazily up the stair steps. He did feel like a chick right then, as his friend had teased him about. One day he wanted this; the other, he wanted that. First he pursued Yuu; then he fled from him. But he wouldn't be able to escape him forever and he didn't want that either, so he would grow a pair and talk to him when the other returned home. Or maybe tomorrow morning. Or maybe right then, as the silver haired smiled at him from the futon as a greeting, when he opened the door of his room.

"You are home early." Yosuke kind of greeted back, wide-eyed. How he regretted in that moment to have given Yuu a key.

"I was tired." The lying male explained. The brunette noticed the shadow of bags under his eyes.

"What did you do today?" The younger one asked, closing the door, trying to face his guest the least possible.

"I was hanging out with Naoto." He stretched out as responding.

_"Her again?"_  Yosuke thought embittered.

His venom silenced their conversation and returned Yosuke to the awkwardness and anxiety. Suddenly the room felt incredibly small for the enormous and tacit elephant. No, he wasn't able to bring the subject up just yet.

"Wow, today was so hot! I'm gonna take a shower!" The brunette announced in an overly loud tone, grabbing clumsily any couple of garments.

He hurried back to the door that could separate them both once more. As soon as it opened only centimetres, a firm hand pushed it closed and the lurking sensation of Yuu cornered him against it. He held his breath with his hand still on the doorknob.

Then the tip of the chaser's nose behind him brushed against his neck, and the smaller boy shivered and shrank in his place. His skin soon covered in goose bumps.

"Are you avoiding me, Yosuke?" His cold voice sounded menacing, at least to the trapped male.

_"I got caught."_  Was all he could think, casting his eyes down at the threshold, and he knew right then that he couldn't escape the matter any longer.

"I'm sorry." Yosuke began talking between the teeth, barely audible. "I'm… confused."

"About what?" Yuu asked obliviously.

"What do you mean? You know about what." The ambushed one raised his tone, though he was yet talking to the door. "I don't know how I should act around you anymore! Are we still just friends? Or are we…?"  _Boyfriends? Lovers?_  What was the word he wanted to say and couldn't? That doubt shushed his verbosity. His fingers sank deep into the fabric of the clothes he was carrying. He didn't even know full well if he wanted to become any of those things with Yuu in the first place.

Then a kind hand cupped his cheek and forced him to turn around and meet the restless silver orbs; those eyes that froze his soul with a mere glimpse.

"I want to act like this."

The moment Yuu's lips captured his once more, there was nothing. Nothing but the fireworks. Yosuke couldn't help dropping the clothes from his hands and with them, all his walls fell down and he was only able to surrender to that kiss.

This time he was sure how to act. One more time, Yuu gave him the answers he couldn't unveil for himself. Why had he questioned something as obvious and evident as the desire that boiled inside him every time he was subjected to the torridness of the silver's touch?

The brunette's arms looped around his kisser's waist while Yuu's tongue begged impatiently for permission, dancing over his lips. Only a small opening allowed it to invade into his mouth and released their passions against one another.

This one did feel like a first kiss: heated, clumsy, desperate, impatient, hungry. Unlike the previous ones, it didn't have an aftertaste of insecurity, but a dotting flavour of anticipation of the countless more to come.

Inwardly, Yosuke laughed at their absurdity, for performing everything in disorder. First the sex, then the kisses; doing every single thing helter-skelter, as if the opportunities would slip through their fingers. Would a kiss like this have made his feelings clearer sooner?

The taste of Yuu's tongue felt so addictive and so warm. Yosuke's mouth seemed to fight the opposite one, when it actually tried to eat it up completely. He tightened his hold to bring his no-longer-just-friend closer and relished more in his flavour. A savour that made him crave for more. That compelled him to seek for a second round of yesterday's lustful act. Not only to him, but also to the participant awaking in his jeans.

"Yuu… I want…" His anxious fingers wrinkled the shirt around the waistline.

It was easy for Yuu to read the brunette's urge between his heated gasps, letting out suggestive sounds when free from his own lips. So he only awarded a knowing smile as response.

The silver's hands, cupping his partner's face, slid down between the other's arms…

They stroke his chest on their way downwards, tracing every curve, slowly enough to make the teased male even more impatient…

They found the edge of his clothes…

Five fingers sneaked under the T-shirt…

And the other five…

"Kids, come downstairs! Dinner is ready!" The voice of his mother killed all of Yosuke's anticipation at a stroke.

Frustrated, he rested his forehead on Yuu's shoulder, with a felt disappointed groan. He bit roughly his lips to hide if only a bit his thwarted gasps.

His silver partner chortle at his disenchant, stoic before the miscarriage of their plans. His mouth looked for the near ear and softly whispered into it:

"I won't settle for just a kiss as dessert." He promised and warned, surprising the brunette and making him move away. The chased teen nodded obediently in blushed silence.

"You go ahead first." Yosuke said to his brand new lover.

He would need a few minutes to calm his lower "condition" before going downstairs and being presentable for sharing the family dinner.


	9. August 18th - August 19th

**August 18th**

Everything was back to its usual, normal peace. Yosuke and Yuu appeared in front of their friends as they had always had. They went out, conversed, played and shared cheerfully and familiarly as ever. Except no one suspected that, at night, Yosuke would expect so eagerly to become Yuu's toy and be played with. Just as he was tonight.

His thighs were held, supported and tangled with the others, whiter and colder. Like that he was retained prisoner and exposed at the mercy of hands and fingers which explore places still sore from repeating the same actions over and over every single day.

"Yuu, move more slowly." The brunette uttered with difficulty between the pleasure and pain. It was deliciously uncomfortable to have Yuu's fingers inside him; moreover feeling his erection being masturbated and the silvern eyes ravishing the rest of his body from above. So once more he didn't want to stop. Rather, he fumbled around the other's privates, as difficult as it was from the mattress. Thereby they transfigured themselves into a knot of pure aphrodisia.

Yosuke would not have been able to say how things had gotten to this point or when had he began to let Yuu invade him in such a way or how he dared to delve back into the silver's body. The single idea of doing something so forbidden only added more eroticism to their play. For now, all he knew was that when the other teen started to kiss him, his reason died between those lips and like that first time, he let himself get carried away by the passion.

"Aah… There." Yosuke commanded in a rough whisper.

The slender and pale fingers always found the spot that drove him crazy. Once the brunette felt that electricity across his back, he couldn't control his body anymore. He twitched every time his sweet spot was brushed. His eyes shut to stop interposing to his other senses. Filled up by a carnal greed, Yosuke left off trying to please his lover and lied down, giving into the pleasure.

Little by little his gasps turned into louder moans, resounding in his room and soon, around the walls of the house. So Yuu leaned forward, never stopping his lascivious labour, and drowned down those whines between his lips with a burning kiss. Yosuke's arms encircled the neck and draw the teen on top closer. His fingertips sank in Yuu's shoulders. His hips moved on their own, impatient for the next lightning that excited his body. He could feel how close the end was and he yearned for it, even though he also wished that pleasure would never finish.

Guided by the dissolute tongue, the incessant fingers and the relentless hand he finally found his way to ecstasy. With a lustful last moan that reverberated inside the other mouth, he poured himself over his chest and Yuu's fist, which barely moved now. On the contrary, his mouth kept harassing Yosuke's furiously until their lungs begged for air.

They separated gradually from one another, always staring into each other's eyes: silvery and umber sharing a current of sentiments without a word.

As usual, it was Yosuke who came first. "Thanks" He appreciated softly, whipping off the results from his skin.

"Sure." Yuu said, licking off the white traces from his phalanges. In spite of all of Yosuke's efforts, he hadn't been able to deter Yuu from that galling habit, so the brunette just limited to look away.

Then he began with the accustomed dialog, like it was scripted: "Do you want me to do you?"

"If you want."

"Of course." Yosuke couldn't be the only one taken to that somehow embarrassing state. He wanted to see Yuu loose his self-possession in the same way the brunette always did and crush the silver's serenity with his own hands. If that could happen at least once…

Yosuke approached the other teen crawling on the bed. "Do you want me to use my hands… or my mouth?" He asked seductively, nearing that part of his face suggestively to the other's.

"Your hands… are enough." Yuu finished in a deep sigh, already ceding to his lover's charms, being intercepted by a sudden smack and letting Yosuke conduct him to a lying position. The brunette felt the remains his own flavour in Yuu's mouth, but it wasn't disagreeable enough to make him stop the kiss.

Yosuke's hand, following the request, glided down and the rest of him lay beside his partner, interweaving their legs together.

Yuu's member was already hard when he reached it. Touching Yosuke, even kissing him, led Yuu to that state in the blink of an eye. Slowly up and down, he caressed it carefully, in the most skilful way possible.

However, other than Yuu's lustful gaze, there wasn't much of a visible reaction, to which Yosuke had grown used to, frustrating as it was. Still, if, perhaps, he tried a different approach this time…

Stealthily, his lips went up to meet Yuu's ear. He placed a small peck on it and then murmured in a sweet tone: "I like touching you…"

With the corner of his eye he could see Yuu widening his. The teased teen contained a gasp and swallowed hard. _"It worked."_ Yosuke had to suppress a triumphant smile to proceed with his plan.

"I like it when you touch me…" Yosuke's lips brushed against the skin of the ear. Yuu let out a laboured deep breath. Yosuke could feel the taller male's coldness heating up, encircled with his body.

"I want to give you more. More of me…" After those promising words, his tongue swept out his mouth and played audaciously with the delicate earlobe in front of it, licking it in circles, teasing it unmercifully. Yuu let out a hot sigh, intoxicated with his speech. He suddenly took Yosuke's arm and squeezed it with his fingertips to show him he was on the right track, silently imploring to go on.

"…and I want to feel more of you…" The erection pulsed inside Yosuke's hand and he tightened the grip around it, earning another rustling exhalation from the silver-haired. His mouth stopped teasing his ear and travelled down to his neck.

First he licked slowly the flesh, salty and sweaty; the AC wasn't enough to suffocate their fires. Then, he brazenly bit on it, as if trying to rip it off, to feast on his lover. The feedback was so positive that he could hear for the first time Yuu groaning in pleasure.

That's why he kept licking, sucking, nibbling on the fine neck, raising the pace of his hand accordingly, toughening his grasp. But not for long, because during one of those bites, one particularly strong, Yuu unexpectedly reached the orgasm with a faint cry; one of the most luscious sounds Yosuke would hear in his entire life.

Yuu rested with his eyelids closed for a few moments, satiated; although not at satisfied as Yosuke who had risen halfway up and looked down on him with a cocky grin and an eyebrow raised, proud to have found one of Yuu's weak spots.

"So you are into that dirty talk kind of stuff? You perv…" Yosuke taunted the lounging male.

"Yes." Yuu answered with absolute honesty, opening only one of his eyes and looking at the brunette with his perpetual impassive expression. Seriously, nothing ever affected him. Did he even know what embarrassment felt like? "But I think you are more perverted for saying that stuff…" He retorted, being entirely right.

"Shut up!" Yosuke growled, unable to snap back and he delivered a gentle punch to his teaser's chest.

Yuu was too relaxed to even try to dodge the hit. Instead, he took the attacking arm and pulled, dragging Yosuke to his side on the bed once more to cuddle him tightly.

"Waaah ~~" Yosuke yelled taken by the surprise jerk. "What do you think you're doing?" He frowned before the position he had been put in, yet he didn't try to loose from the embrace at all.

"You have to work tomorrow again?" Yuu asked, ignoring the false outrage from his partner.

"Yes, sorry about that. I'll try to leave early." The brunette promised with sadness.

The silver smiled lovingly, making Yosuke flush red. "It's ok, I can wait."

"What are you going to do meanwhile?" He asked softly, looking away to hide his reddening face.

"I'll probably meet Naoto." Yuu answered, not giving it too much importance to the matter.

"We have other friends, you know?" Again. It was always the same: every day Yosuke worked, Yuu would get together with her, only her, and elusively explained what they did and where they went. It pissed him off, but in truth he had neither right to complain nor he wanted to humiliate himself acting like a jealous girlfriend. Therefore, that tiny reproach was the only luxury he could afford. "Where are you gonna go?"

"Just… to walk around the flood plains. Don't worry; I'll be home for you as soon as you finish your shift." He said tangling his arms around his smaller lover, lavishing promising caresses as a vow of what would happen when they met again tomorrow.

"I never said I would be impatient to see you… idiot." As a proof of his forbearance Yosuke gave him an impassioned deep kiss good night.

* * *

**August 19th**

It was just another day at work. The hive of activity and people was extremely tiring. Yosuke wished with all his heart that Yuu could have given him a hand today too. However, he couldn't ask the silver-haired to help out if he already had plans, as willingly as he would have ruined them.

Without being seen, he sneaked inside the janitor's room and leaned against the wall to rest. His back was killing him again, he should get it seen. His eyes remained attentively watching through the wide slit left by the door in case his father decided to take a walk around the appliances section, but his mind soon drifted off to other worries.

Yosuke wondered where Yuu was right then; if he would already have met with Naoto; what face would he make when greeting her. What would they talk about for days in the shade of the grand gazebo? Maybe she had more in common with Yuu than he did; since even between the two males, topics ran out at some point or were left aside to give way to other appetites. Would his man and the girl only talk…?

Yosuke shook his head and decided that was how far his speculations would go. The silver hadn't really given him any reason to suspect anything and didn't deserve his… _whatever Yosuke was to Yuu_ … to mistrust him. Before poisoning himself more with his deductions, he resolved to go back to work and distract his head from that useless brain activity until he reencountered Yuu later that evening and all his fears were comforted with his kiss.

Yet, on his way out, while closing the door behind him, a silver ray glinted in the corner of his eye. Was Yuu so present in his mind that he imagined to see him everywhere? But what he surely didn't imagine was the dark blue mane following the other among the sea of people.

It was, at least, odd. The two of them were supposed to meet by the river and Yosuke couldn't guess what could have brought them all the way back to Junes. He figured why wondering about it by himself, he could go ahead and ask them. Not that he was trying to find out what were they doing, if they were having a nice time, or how much longer their date would last.

Nevertheless, following the couple was not an easy task. The crowd was thick and they seemed to move in an evasive manner, as if they feared to get caught. They swerved in every corner and he kept losing track of them.

Yosuke saw them take a turn left. He knew Junes like the back of his hand, so he was very well aware that path could only take them to the back of the mall. As a proper owner, he was familiar with every shortcut through the racks and through which way he would have been able to follow them by sight as he approached them. But he had to move fast.

He turned right instead, following the line of a smaller sales stand, down a narrow aisle. There they were, the two heads, walking swiftly, dodging clients. Just a few more metres and he could contact them.

In that moment, he bumped into something. The brunette was so focused on chasing his preys that he hit it with all his speed and bounced off violently.

"Ouch…" He murmured between the teeth in pain due to the potent hit. He was so inattentive to his own way, that he hadn't notice there was a man standing still in the middle of the houseware section. He cursed the silent man internally; he couldn't spare any seconds or his pursuit would be in vain.

"I'm sorry, sir. Could you move aside, please? I need to go through here." He demanded impatiently. Still, the man kept staring expressionless at the cases full of silverware, categorically ignoring his words.

"Sir?" The middle-aged male didn't show any sign of have listened to him at all; he simply stood there, wasting oxygen and Yosuke's time.

"Damn it!" The chaser grumbled and pushed him a bit roughly out of his way. Although, when he finally arrived at the end of the aisle, at the farthest corner of the shop, he found no one but his gasping reflection on the pitch-black screen of a large TV.

* * *

Yosuke's fingers played a constant patterned rhythm as he tapped them impatiently against the wooden side of the bed. His restless hands moved at the beat imposed by his fretful anxieties, while he waited for Yuu to come back home to him, with a disquieted expression.

The silver had promised to return as soon as his shift ended. Then why had Yosuke had to lie in wait for him for nearly two hours already. Normally, the brunette wouldn't have cared about the delay and would have entertained himself with something. However, the eagerness to understand why Yuu's date had switched locations without his partner even stopping by to greet him, didn't let him focus on any of his videogames, mangas or even the sandwich he prepared but finally, didn't eat. He had asked around at Junes if the fleeting couple had been looking for him, even to Kuma, but apparently they weren't there to bid Yosuke good day.

Yosuke used to be so calm and at ease around Yuu when they were simply friends. Since that barrier had been crossed, he lived assaulted by apprehension, fear, tension…

The distant sound of the front door opening suddenly stiffened all his body and he sat abruptly in the bed. His heart quickened and his stomach shrank. As he heard the footsteps climbing slackly up the staircase, he wondered about the reason for feeling so distressed about this whole deal. "It's nothing. It was probably because it was cloudy. He didn't want to be a bother to me. He'll tell me all about it now. It's nothing." But in a remote corner of his heart, he feared the conversation wouldn't go like that.

When Yuu opened the door of their room, he found his friend sitting upright and uptight, staring intensely at him. "Hey." His lips were rigid as they welcomed and so was his turned-to-stone face.

"Hey." The newcomer answered with his insouciant smile.

"You're kinda late." Yosuke tried to make that sound in the less accusatory tone possible, but somehow a tint of his inner feelings emerged between his words.

"Sorry. We got distracted and didn't realise what time it was." Yuu apologized as he lay down on the futon, furrowing his brows slightly.

 _"For two hours?"_ Yosuke would have like to retort, but he restrained."Oh, is that so? Wait, are your shorts wet?"

"Oh, well, it was an accident. Nevermind…"

"So… how was the park? It wasn't a very bright day." The other asked in an offhand way, expecting to hear what he already knew, wishing Yuu wouldn't say otherwise, hoping he had nothing to keep secret.

Yuu's gelid eyes met his for a second and then turned away dubiously. "It was ok. It didn't rain at least."

Yosuke felt a cold pang nailing his guts. Maybe his fears weren't as delusional as he was trying to convince himself. Yuu did have something to hide. Whatever it was that he was doing so often with the short haired girl, it wasn't something convenient to tell to his lover. The answer was so evident that Yosuke couldn't find any other way around it. If it was only Yosuke the one he couldn't share what he was doing with, then it had to be something illicit, something he was not supposed to be doing. And Yuu's only duty towards Yosuke was faithfulness. It was true that they had never set in stone the terms of their relationship, so assuming they were _"exclusive"_ was a decision made single-handedly by Yosuke; however, why would have Yuu seduced him in the first place if he wanted to hook up with Naoto too? Definitely, the silver didn't strike him as the insatiable playboy kind.

"What?" Yuu's words pulled him out of his turbulent reflections. "Are you tired again?" He asked with a tender smile, even though he was the one who seemed exhausted.

"Sure." The brunette answered, this time, unwilling to cover up his state.

"Too much work?" He continued to show interest in his lover but it wasn't what that teen wanted to hear. Yosuke ached for truth.

"Not really… That's not it…"

"Then what is it?" The silver insisted one last time.

 _"What is that got YOU so tired is, I wonder."_ Yosuke thought painfully. "Forget it…" Yosuke said huskily; he didn't want to reveal his insecurities, mainly because he didn't have any proof of the alleged disloyalty. "I guess mom will be late with the dinner again today." He slipped the remark, nonchalantly, masking his ulterior motives. Yet he was completely sure Yuu wouldn't overlook the proposition.

"Then I'll take a nap until she comes." The older male announced, rolling on his side and crashing Yosuke's predictions.

 _"He doesn't want to do it…?"_ Yosuke was certainly not in the mood to get busy, but he was hoping to obtain with that at least a little demonstration that it was him the only one Yuu wanted and craved for. Now, he wasn't so sure.

"Fine." He leapt over the young body on the futon below and headed for the door, before getting overcome even more by his emotions. "I'll let you alone."

"Yosuke" A couple of inches before the door was completely closed, Yuu's voice called his name and he delayed his exit. "You work tomorrow too?"

The brunette bit his lip and chocked an enraged growl rising up from the deep of his entrails. "Why? Will you meet her again?" He turned around and threw an irrepressible glower at his partner.

The greyish orbs widened and clouded, taken by surprise. The laying male sat properly on the soft duvet and looked straight into the raging eyes. "Does it bother you?" His tone was a little incredulous.

"Answer me." Yosuke ordered, ignoring the questioning reply, furious enough.

The short silence preceding his words made Yosuke's strain even worse. "Maybe I'll try to get in touch with Kou and Daisuke." His response seemed so hesitating and insecure that Yosuke knew the silver one was making it up in that moment.

"Then yes, I do have to work tomorrow." And his voice didn't waver at all when he told that lie.


	10. August 20th

If Yuu could lie to him so openly, Yosuke didn't really need to feel guilty about what he was about to do.

The brunette had left the house early in the afternoon, after a night of obsessing over his plan and a morning of fruitlessly trying to get Yuu to tell him the details of his later programme. Previously, he had stealthily sneaked into his parents' room and borrowed his father's clothes in hope not to get recognized by his victim.

As expected, only a few minutes went by and the prey left the nest. For a second, Yosuke's heart held the beats when Yuu seemed to head for the way where he was hiding, behind the big light post in the corner. Still he finally began walking in the opposite direction and his hunter started his pursuit.

Three blocks later, Yosuke figured out where he was going. It was the path he took every day, after all, even though today he was following it with a much different purpose.

The silver never stopped or looked back during his route, making the hunt simpler. On the contrary, his footsteps sped up with each hill down and did not slow down again. He appeared too zealous to arrive at the meeting point as soon as possible, maybe to take profit of the little time he had before Yosuke supposedly finished working.

However, when he reached the entrance of Junes he didn't end his journey. Neither when he passed by the coffee shop. Not even when he walked by the rest of the mall's front and turned around the corner of the building. The chase was becoming unsustainable in that place, adding the customers and the employees who could recognize him.

In an endeavour to not lose sight of him, Yosuke seized the opportunity and made a run for a near flowerbed and rolled behind it like a ninja. The creak of his bones told him immediately it had been a bad idea. "Oh, shiiiit!" He shut in his mouth a yell of pain, biting his tongue not to let it out. "Ugh… You're a fucking genius, Yosuke!" He scolded himself, rubbing his sciatic; that was going to leave a mark. Yet he couldn't afford to get distracted by his meaningless complaints, so he opened a gap between the flowers and retook the observation, trying to ignore his sore back.

He saw Yuu heading for one of the backdoors where someone was waiting for him, but didn't look like neither Kou nor Daisuke. Obviously, it was her. Naoto was leaning against the wall by the little door and incorporated with a faint smile the moment she saw her accomplice.

They apparently exchanged greetings and shared a few words. From where he was undercover, Yosuke couldn't listen to what they said; only observe the girl's expressions. First she appeared troubled before Yuu's words; then apologetic; and lastly she shook her head no with vehemence, talking back to whatever Yuu was saying, looking distressed. To Yosuke's pain, his lover soothed the young woman patting his head, caressing his hair dotingly. Naoto flushed with a pinkish blush and nodded, eased at last.

That's when Yuu opened the entry. The only reason he knew that door was so convenient was because Yosuke had told him how he used to use it to slip in whenever he was late for work. Now the weasel used it behind his back to slink into his own store without running into him. Yosuke clenched his fists and lied low until they closed the door behind them to sprint to the entrance.

The hunter mentally calculated how long he should wait before going in so the couple would not hear the high-pitched squeak of the hinges. Once inside, he found them easily due that the amount of people wasn't as large as the day before. It made staying hidden and, as a consequence, the pursuit more difficult, but this time he wasn't in a rush. His intention was to hide and observe properly, cherishing the hope that their actions wouldn't incriminate them yet more. Even so, he had to be extra careful, racing from one cover to another.

Once again, he followed them into the appliances section, dashing to the wall blanketed with screens. Gasping, they decided to stop and the pursuer had to franticly take refuge behind a small standing sign. His heart pulsed at such a frenzied pace that he felt it reverberating in his throat. Still, agitated, he took a peek from behind his hideout.

The targets were attentively scrutinizing the surroundings, looking or waiting for something. Yosuke bit on one of his nails, nervous, holding his breath. Perhaps, they were searching for him. Could they possibly suspect they were being stalked? But he had been so careful… He had already started to feel like a movie spy.

However, he was not the centre of his friends' observations. In reality, they awaited for the opportunity when most of the visible clients had walked away from the section or were distracted with their own purchases. And then Yosuke's heart broke a bit more.

Yuu's arms encircled tenderly the outline of the girl's waist. He brought her close to him and their bodies brushed one against the other. Naoto gasped in surprise, but then hooked her hand on his shoulder, securing the embrace. Yuu had never been that gentle with him; he was rough and sensual and ravenous, but not loving like this. The couple looked into each other's eyes. Yuu made a resolute nod and Naoto nodded back. Then, with a single elegant leap, the darkness of the screen engulfed the two bodies.

Yosuke abandoned his cover in a useless effort to go after them, but when his fingers touched the surface of the TV, it was back to its tangible self, and any chance of proceeding with his pursuance diluted with its materiality.

* * *

_"Meet me at the hill overlooking town when you finish. It doesn't matter the time, I'll be waiting."_

Yosuke had sent Yuu that text hours ago, while it was still the afternoon. The sun was already hiding behind the western mountains and there was still no sign of the silver-haired.

Bathed in soft tones of golden, Inaba reposed serene in the foothills, unaware of the convulsed emotions of who observed it. Yosuke rested the uneasiness weighing inside of him over his forearms propped on the wooden fence. On his back, the kids of the daycare where Yuu used to work frolicked carefree and he couldn't help envying them. From time to time, his eyes locked on the passers-by, in the streets downhill but as soon as his mind tried to set on those people's problems and concerns, the painful image of Yuu's arms around Naoto popped in his head and renewed his angst.

Why would possibly those two go inside the TV? It wasn't a very romantic spot to meet, but it surely was a place where they wouldn't be discovered. If Yosuke hadn't seen them with his own two eyes, it would have never occurred to him to look for them in there nor could he trail them inside.

More visions followed that one, piled up one after the other: him caressing her, taking her by the hand, smiling at her, talking so sweetly to her…  _"Why?"_  Yosuke was not so upset about whatever Yuu might or might not be doing with the girl as much as it hurt him to see the fondness with what he treated her. With a deep breath, he swallowed down the anguish. He closed his eyes and let the children's laughter invade his ears and fill up his brain to sooth him with their light-heartedness. His disorganised thoughts revolved forwards and backwards amongst the few clues he had. Yuu liked HIM; his partner had told him so, hence, Yuu was gay? Yet, he himself felt attracted to Yuu particularly but liked girls, and boobs, and so on… The truth was that, even if Yuu was gay, Naoto's looks weren't such a huge obstacle. Plus, she was quite a catch… The girl was doubtlessly gorgeous; not to mention intelligent as a genius; cult and interesting enough to captivate anyone; more talented than most adult investigators. The young detective would be the perfect match for Yuu, so much more than himself, and the most important, nobody would judge their relationship. It would not be…  _wrong_ … like them…

His fingers crossed over each other, clenched against the back of his hands. That could be the answer. In spite of how much Yosuke cared about Yuu, he should have known they weren't supposed to be. Perhaps,  _Yosuke_  was the fling, the little thing on the side of Yuu's real relationship with Naoto. It would have explained why the brunette was treated so voraciously, if he was indeed a simple way to vent what, out of respect maybe, he didn't do to the short haired female.  _"Men don't cry."_  He reminded to himself; his fingers pressed even more as he struggled to keep it inside.

When the graze of hurried footsteps on the grass sounded behind him, Yosuke took his time to turn around and face the wondering and innocent-looking Yuu. The intense shades of orange cloaked the reddening on his cheeks, but his gasping breath revealed he had run all the way there.

"New look?" Yuu joked pointing out the unusual clothing of his partner, while his breath steady slowly. However, Yosuke remained in silence. He hadn't called the other here to make small talk.

"I just saw the text, sorry." The silver wiped a few drops of sweat with the back of his wrist and then continued, filling the brunette's muteness. "It's strange that you call me here." He remarked. In spite of the presence of the children nearby Yuu was approaching him too closely. But before said teen could say or do anything inappropriate, Yosuke's patience wore out.

"What is it exactly that you do with Naoto inside the TV?" He spat in a calm yet defiant tone, sick of Yuu acting so relaxed and innocently.

The silver froze in his place, interrupting his way to his partner. His cool face transformed into a mild grimace of disbelief and panic. "How do you…?"

"I'm not an idiot, you know?" Yosuke interrupted his interlocutor, striving to contain his anger. "I saw you two."

"But how did you see us?" He clearly seemed to think he had taken enough precautions not to be seen, and for an incautious eye he probably had.

Yosuke clenched his lips before answering with the truth. "I followed you…" He didn't feel guilty about it, but a bit unhappy with himself, since he understood very well he shouldn't have done such a thing. It wasn't the most correct way to clear his doubts, but it was Yuu's dishonesty what drove him to act in that reproachable manner, and so he wasn't going to beg for anyone's pardon.

Yuu's tone and expression then reflected the incredulity he felt, seeing his privacy was being "violated" in such a way for his own friend. "You followed me?!" He snapped, raising, for once in his life, his voice.

"NO!" Yosuke stopped him, extending an accusatory and trembling finger his way. "I won't let you make this about me!" He spoke through gritted teeth, his choler raging inside his body, making his whole being shudder. He took a deep breath and put down his emotions. "Are you two together? Do you go there to be alone?" The brunette inquired at last in a lesser voice, unable to uncover his trepidations any longer.

"What? No… Yosuke, it isn't like that…" The look on Yuu's eyes seemed like he was watching his whole world falling apart before him, but it wasn't enough to make Yosuke believe in him.

"Then…" Yosuke was so displeased to say what he was about to utter as Yuu would be hearing it. "…would you stop seeing her?"

Yuu's lips parted a couple of times, but they were unable to speak a sound. When he finally did, it wasn't what Yosuke was expecting to hear. He moved his eyes away, setting them on the city below. Apparently, he couldn't cope with his lover's demands. "I told you it isn't like that. You… don't need to worry about it… it's nothing…"

"Then tell me what the fuck you're doing there with her!" Yosuke's fury unleashed with that usual misleading answer. Before he knew it, the smaller teen had his hands grasping the collar of Yuu's T-shirt.

The taller male got a hold on those aggressive hands and tried to release from the clutch, but the anger had made the other much stronger than he normally was. "Yosuke, I'm not CHEATING ON YOU! Oh…" Yuu had shouted that to Yosuke's face at the top of his lungs, but as soon as he finished they both realised they weren't alone.

Both teens looked towards the daycare and met a long line of widened eyes and half-opened mouths gawking at them. A couple of them seemed about to burst in tears, while others appeared simply terrified. All of the near children who were playing loudly a moment ago had ceased their actions and, startled, were now looking attentively at the two battling males. A particularly brave girl dared to ask her little and scared friend: "Is that onii~chan trying to kill the other onii~chan?"

Embarrassed, both males stopped their argument. Yosuke released the grip and lowered his hands, accompanied by Yuu's still encircling them. The brunette averted his eyes from the children; Yuu instead, smiled at them with his adorable grin. "It's ok, you can go back to play now. We're not fighting anymore. I promise." He spoke to the brave girl in particular, but soon all the boys and girls seemed to have forgotten about them, their attention drawn once again by their toys and games. With a little luck, the kids wouldn't understand the meaning of the words spoken by them and wouldn't tell the care-takers about it. The last thing Yosuke needed was a scandal related to the son of Junes' owner.

The brunette was still trembling in rage, but he was ashamed the fight had gotten to that point. He never imagined he'd have a quarrel of this magnitude with someone as peaceful and, moreover, dear to him as Yuu. However, he wasn't at all willing to let slide a shameless lie from his partner. "If it's nothing as you say, stop doing it, damn it." Yosuke broke the silence with his whispering voice.

"Yosuke, are you… jealous?" Yuu asked surprised as if he was just barging in the conversation now.

"Of course I'm jealous, you prick!" By the end of the phrase he bit his tongue to stop talking. Did Yuu really have to make him say it? It was embarrassing for a man to act all green-eyed, but the question was so stupid at this point that made him snap off-guard.

"Yosuke, you don't have to be…" One of the silver's hands freed Yosuke's and travelled upwards, looking for the brunette's cheek to insure his words with a sweet gesture. Yet Yosuke's opposite hand stopped it, grabbing it in the air and his face jerked back gruffly.

"Are you gonna see her tomorrow?" He asked, already with a disgusted tone. His stare's coldness could for once compete with Yuu's icing orbs.

Yuu cast his sight down for a moment. He was surely preparing to give Yosuke a response the brunette would not like. Then he raised his eyes and glanced resolutely at his lover. "Yes."

"Then don't touch me." Yosuke got rid of the hand he was holding, throwing it aside roughly, and left that place and Yuu behind without turning back.

* * *

Yosuke couldn't get to sleep. He simply lay in his bed staring at the empty futon below. He was looking at the tidy sheets with such avidity that he seemed to be trying to summon Yuu there out of pure will.

_"I'll stay at Kanji's tonight."_  The silver had texted him, even though he had never asked or showed the littlest interest on his whereabouts. But in truth, it had been a relief to have a heads-up about it. Not so much to explain to his mother why the lovable guest wouldn't be joining them that night too.

Shyly, reluctantly, as if someone could see him, he crawled down to the futon and lied down in his lover's place. As much as he would deny relishing it, the pillow smelled deliciously like him. Yosuke's heart wondered whether he had acted well. His fingers squeezed the downy pillow, imbued with sorrow. If Yuu was really being unfaithful to him when he met the girl, he wouldn't admit so openly that he was going to keep seeing her. However, if they were indeed doing something completely different, Yuu wouldn't reveal what it was voluntarily either, therefore he was somehow lying to him. Yosuke took a lungful of that scent and closed his eyes. That fragrance reminded him of all the intimacy they had shared over those beddings. And it helped him made up his mind: if Yuu didn't tell him the truth, he was going to find out for himself.

 


	11. August 21st - Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very, very sorry for not updating last week pnp I'll try to keep up from now on!! xOx

"What are we doing here, again?" Kuma wondered once more, walking along with Yosuke, heading for the place where the big TV was in exhibition. Some amused looks turned to the mascot, smiling at his eccentric and colourful suit.

"I said I'll tell you. Just wait till we get there." Yosuke answered, annoyed, for the tenth time. He wanted to give away the least possible information to the bear. However, one way or the other, he would have to reveal, at least partially, his intentions, for he wouldn't be able to find out for himself the reasons behind Yuu's escapades without the blond's help.  _"This is the last time I will ever follow him. I swear."_  The brunette vowed to himself.  _"Once I'm sure."_  If they had the luck to locate Yuu in that vast place, the silver would be very pissed with him; yet, this is what he had pushed his lover to do with his secrecy.

"Am I in trouble? If this is about the popsicles, I didn't eat them! The wrappers… just appeared inside my costume…" The plushy bear excused himself before even being accused.

"What pops-! Ugh, forget it! Just stay quiet!" Yosuke decided to focus on his own problems; it would be his father's matter to deal with Kuma's poor performance as an employee.

"But tell me at least where we are going!" The little boy insisted, vanquished by his impatience.

"Here, here, Ok?" Yosuke shouted, stopping his feet in front of the large screen.

"Here? What for?" Kuma looked around searching. "Do we have something to arrange? We have to clean something?"

"How long have you been away from the TV world?" The store owner ignored Kuma's queries and got straight to the point.

"Uh? Well… Since Sensei came to visit us, I've been coming and going. But now it's been over a week… why?"

"I'll do the questions." Yosuke cut the other roughly. "Can you tell if someone's been there? Can you smell them if they're gone?"

"No, I can only track someone down while they're inside the TV world. What's this about?" The smaller boy seemed more reluctant with each line of the conversation.

Yosuke made a pause and stated his intentions clearly: "I need you to take me into the TV."

"Ok… But why?"

The taller male took a deep breath. He should finally tell Kuma what was going on. "Naoto and Yuu have been going inside while you and I work since he arrived in Inaba." The brunette tried to conceal how much that situation bothered him and made his biggest effort to sound only as a worried friend.

"What? And they didn't tell us! Why?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out. So, I need you to get us inside."

* * *

"Ugh…I'll never get used to that fall." Yosuke complained. Especially because he had landed on the spot he'd hurt the day before.

Yosuke never thought he'd have to come back to that place, where he had been forced to face his true fears and his real self, ever again. But there he was, falling down once more into that mysterious world.

He remembered it differently, though. When they left, it had become more agreeable, yet it now felt menacing somehow. The air was strangely lit; a dim fog gleamed, suspended on the atmosphere as if illuminated by some shine, but there wasn't any visible light source around. Hadn't they got rid of that fog already? Except this time it wasn't as thick to need the glasses to see through it.

"Y-Yosuke!" Kuma called his partner with the voice trembling full of dread.

"What?"

"There!" The boy in a costume pointed at a vague direction ahead of themselves.

"What is it? A shadow?"

"I-I don't know… but it's bad… and big… I haven't felt this since we faced Izanami…"

"Damn…" Yosuke clenched his fists in realisation. Probably, that was the cause for the other two to sneak in here. No, it definitely was. "Are Yuu and Naoto there?"

"It's hard to tell… I think they might have gone that way, but I can't smell them right…"

"Then… we'll have to go get them. Let's go, Kuma." The younger male's costume nodded as afraid as the other, but unlike him, he didn't mind showing how anxious he was.

Following Kuma's imprecise directions they began walking in silence for minutes. Yosuke was too consumed in thought to talk. The sorrow he felt before had long been replaced with a cold sensation of fright in his stomach. Maybe, if he was more trustworthy, Yuu would have asked him to accompany him and face together whatever it was that lurked in the dark of that grim world. As powerless as he felt in that environment, he could at least had been by his side.

As they advanced deeper into the TV world, farther from the entrance, the air and soil became moister, then wet and eventually they seemed to be walking over a giant puddle.

"Water?" The bear observed his disguised figure. Their reflections trembled on the surface, distorted by the waves their steps produced. The echo of their feet slowly grew louder as their legs splashed more water.

"Do you know where are we going, Kuma?" Yosuke asked nervously. The ambience around him was threatening. Their feet sank more and more into the obscure pool with each step; their toes were already dampened inside their shoes and every pace felt heavier than the last one.

"No." The little bear admitted. "But Sensei and Naoto's trace is fading out… If that thing there got to them…"

"I know, I know." Yosuke understood already. His heart felt like a black hole at that mere thought. What if Yuu was in danger for real? He cursed himself for being so stupid and jealous yet was grateful for it at the same time, since those emotions had compelled him to search for his friend, who he feared for now. He had been so childish for distrusting Yuu's faithfulness; it became obvious now as the liquid grazed his calves.

Yosuke tried to cast those conclusions aside and move forward. There would be plenty of time to reproach himself once he found his friend and they all left that cheerless place; when they found themselves somewhere where the fog didn't invade their lungs and thoughts.

"Why is it all flooded in here anyway?" Walking in the cold and deep water was wearing. The older male was starting to feel some tiredness in his dampened thighs. "Is it safe to keep going down there?"

"Yosuke…" The bear called his friend's name and he put a halt to his steps. The brunette raised his eyes from the waving water to meet the cause for them to stop.

Quietly floating over the surface, rose a single grey tomb stone. A sole mark could be seen on it:  **伊** **(*)**  The rest of the inscription engraved on the rough material was worn away to the point of being completely indecipherable. Nevertheless, what caught the attention of both explorers was a delicate ofuda **(**)**  pending from the stone. The paper shimmered with a very soft glow that seemed to light the fog surrounding them. It should have been a terrifying image, just the grave and the talisman, floating alone in the darkness and the solitude. Yet, Yosuke felt a soothing sensation in his chest the moment his sight lay on that bizarre scenery. He had the feeling that he could be calm and free. If that's what he wanted.

"What is this place?" Yosuke asked overwhelmed by calmness. The fluorescence of the amulet glowed in his pupils.

"I have no idea." The blond answered in the same solemn tone. "I don't think someone has created this, I can't smell the creator in it." The bear sniffed the foggy air.

"Plus the tomb's name is erased completely." Yosuke pointed out.

"But there's something written on the ofuda." Kuma said approaching the object, followed closely by the other. The more Yosuke neared the article, the more relaxed he felt, unlike Kuma who looked overtaken by fear.

Yosuke felt a warm pulse in his chest when they were close enough to read the letters inked on the paper. It had been so long since he last felt it; the beat of his Persona palpitating below his skin. He missed his presence, but he didn't need to summon him now, because there wasn't any reason to be scared… if he didn't want to. As long as everything remained the same, just in this perfect peace, he didn't  _need_  to fight back.

"Hi- Hiruko?" Kuma read the text with some difficulty.

With the simple mention of that word, that name, its brilliance suddenly intensified, filling the previously darkened space.

"WAAAH~~!" The little bear tripped with his own ankles as he tried to step away from the reacting object and swung his arms in the air looking for balance.

"Could you be quiet?" Yosuke demanded through clenched teeth to the rowdy boy. "Nothing happened. It's ok." He scolded the other, playing it cool. Actually, he had gotten startled too but didn't have time to react. He could only look at the ofuda.

"I-I was caught off-guard, that's it!" The blond snapped back, completely recovered.

"Yeah, yeah…" Yosuke rested importance to the bear's justifications, hardly listening to him. His attention was drawn by the strange paper. "But, nothing will happen… right?" As if moving on its own, his arm stretched slowly, reaching for the object, completely under its spell.

"Yosuke, stop!"

"It's ok…" His fingers barely brushed the amulet. The sound of torn paper resounded in the sudden blackness. Just like that, all of Yosuke's senses returned to him and his calm abandoned him at once in time to undergo a shockwave and feel the water drenching him completely. Confused and with his nose filled up by the liquid, he struggled to come back to the surface. What his eyes met then, took his breath away.

Something giant floated above them, a mass of colours and brightness suspended above their heads. Yosuke couldn't figure out what it was but it was certainly magnificent and he felt forced to contemplate it, wide-eyed, overpowered. A being somewhere between a jellyfish and a flower that glowed polychromaticly at turns with every imaginable shade. A wide circle aimed at them but he couldn't tell if it was an eye or the crown of a passionflower. The being didn't emit a single sound; its silence contrasted with the eloquence of his appearance, and that only made it more threatening.

A fine circle line of darker colours spun around its centre and Yosuke distinguished the vague form of calligraphic writing.  _"I shall always return. While humans continue to consign their realities to oblivion, I shall never cease to exist. I shall be reborn to fulfil the desires of humanity."_

Was this what Susano-o was warning him about? Yosuke should have listened to his inner self when he had the chance. However… he had felt secure before, the certainty that it would all be ok if everything remained in peace. So all they had to do was leave silently.

"Go, Kamui-Moshiri!" Kuma yelled from behind and a brilliant light welcomed the attacking Persona. The spirit elevated in the air and a jet of pearly white ice shot from him.

"Kuma, no…!" It was his turn to stop his partner from doing something stupid.

But as with him, it was too late; the attack had already impacted on its target. Even so, the creature didn't have a single scratch on it. On the contrary, instead of deterring it from his intentions, the monster lit even brighter, primarily around its centre and seemed ready to attack. The invincible light deluged Yosuke's sight. Even with all his strength, nothing could be done anymore.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (*) Read: いor /ɪ/
> 
> (**) It's a type of amulet or talisman. It is made by inscribing the name of a kami(the spirits that are worshiped in the religion of Shinto) on a strip of paper, wood, etc.
> 
> Thanks for reading! ^O^


	12. August 21st - Part II

_"Go, Kamui-Moshiri!" Kuma yelled from behind and a brilliant light welcomed the attacking Persona. The spirit elevated in the air and a jet of pearly white ice shot from him._

_"Kuma, no…!" It was his turn to stop his partner from doing something stupid._

_But as with him, it was too late; the attack had already impacted on its target. Even so, the creature didn't have a single scratch on it. On the contrary, instead of deterring it from his intentions, the monster lit even brighter, primarily around its centre and seemed ready to attack. The invincible light deluged Yosuke's sight. Even with all his strength, nothing could be done anymore._

* * *

 

The brunette covered his face with his forearms as a reflex. The last of Yosuke's thoughts was Yu's face; he would hate to leave things like this between them. But the light was over them already.

"Shield of Justice!"

Three shining walls rose from the water, centimetres before the blinding beam collided against the brunette and the blond. The attack was absorbed by the pavises and the darkness hover over the party once again. The only thing still emitting light was the creature.

With the heart still pounding in his throat, Yosuke turned to face his saviours. Naoto was being held by Yuu, gasping, looking wearied; she had probably exhausted all her strengths in that spell to save both intruders.

"Oi, Naoto, hang in there!" The silver was talking to her, telling her to resist, but before Yosuke could thank her, the girl collapsed between Yuu's arms.

"Damn it." The silver cursed as he tried to keep the girl afloat.

Yosuke ran to his aid, followed by the terrified bear, splashing water, half walking, and half flapping around. "Senseeeei!"

"We have to leave!" Their leader commanded to his friends. Yosuke squatted by his side and Yuu rested Naoto's body against his back. He secured his arms behind her knees and raised, ready to escape that place.

The beast was powerful, but rather slow because of its colossal size, and that could buy them some time.

"Over here!" Yuu waved his arm and began sprinting, showing the way with his companions following closely behind.

Thanks to his adrenaline, Yosuke barely felt the weight of the girl resting on him. He ran so hastily that his legs almost didn't sense the resistance of the water.

Wherever Yuu was leading them to, the puddle was becoming shallower, so they were doubtlessly getting away from that surreal place.

In the distance, piles of ruins appeared amongst the fog, past the shore of the water. The group dashed and sought cover behind it.

After stopping and calming, all of the recent effort hit Yosuke's body at once. His last steps shattered behind the heap of remains that he recognized as Magatsu Inaba. So this was still here, huh? His trembling muscles nearly dropped the fainted girl, if Yuu hadn't come just in time to get her. Once he felt the female safe again, he let himself fall to the ground. Even breathing hurt him.

"Are you ok?" The silver asked Yosuke as they all recovered the air.

"I'm fine…" Yosuke mumbled between gasp in and gasp out. "How is she…?"

Yuu shook his head, troubled. "Still unconscious." But soon, he changed the subject to what matter the most. "Yosuke, why are you here?" Instead of the rebuking tone the brunette expected to hear, Yuu showed so much concern that the addressed male had to swallow all the bickering words he had rehearsed inside his mind for that moment, when the silver found out that once again, his lover had betrayed his trust.

The follower looked away, and it was Kuma who spoke in his place. "We came looking for you and Naoto, sensei. Yosuke told me you two were visiting the TV world and we were worried. Is that thing what you were looking for?"

"I'm not sure. It probably is." The leader answered, with his eyes still set on Yosuke. "When we went to the beach house Naoto told me the police had its hands full with recurrent reports of people with apathy syndrome again. That's why Dojima is working 24/7 too. She suspected it had to have something to do with the TV world, but of course she couldn't say that to her superiors. So, since she knew I would be coming over for the holidays, Naoto waited and asked me to help her find the cause inside here. She couldn't enter by herself and we only had this month, then we didn't have a choice but to use whatever time we had and investigate." The older teen began to explain everything softly, almost apologetically, always looking at his partner with remorseful eyes that Yosuke couldn't look back at. Rather he was thinking about the girl, fainted in Yuu's arms and couldn't stop blaming himself and his imprudent actions for leading her to end up that state. "But without Kuma or Rise… I don't think we would have ever found it if it wasn't for you two, guys. We always stayed away from the water." Their leader finished with a grateful grin.

"But why didn't you tell us? We could have helped you!" The bear yelled, sad.

"Dojima only allowed Naoto to search in here because he was running out of options. But he thought she'd be researching on her own. The case wasn't of one of public knowledge like last time. The police was trying to keep it quiet and not work the people up, not now when the mood is calming after Namatame and the murders… So Naoto couldn't risk any of us leaking a word about it, or Dojima would know it had been her fault. She made me promise…" The silver nearly begged that last sentence and, finally, Yosuke raised his glassy eyes full of guilt and shame.

"I'm sorry…" The brunette whispered, before Yuu could continue to apologize for what he shouldn't. Yuu was trying to be a good friend to Naoto, was bravely facing the danger of that realm practically by himself and Yosuke was only self-centred in his own jealousy. In that moment he felt like the biggest jerk on planet Earth. How he wished the blond boy wasn't there so he could apologize so much properly and transmit all the feelings they had to keep secret. But Yuu's sweet and knowing smile let him know that even without words, he understood.

Unaware of that situation, Kuma added, "I'm sorry too, sensei!" And carry through the actions Yosuke would have like to do, throwing himself into hugging his silver haired friend.

Petting the bear in the fluffy head, Yuu retook his role. "We have to figure out a way to get rid of that thing."

"I don't think it'll be easy." Yosuke finally dared to speak up since they arrived to that wrecked place. "Kuma didn't make it a single scratch when Kamui-Moshiri attacked it."

"Do you know what that creature is, Kuma? Is it someone's shadow?" The silver leader asked.

"No, I don't think so." The bear sat in his place again with a more serious tone. "Yosuke, did you read what it said on its centre?" Said teen nodded, waiting for Kuma to confirm his suspicions. "It is definitely related to Izanami. Those words sounded a lot like hers."

"We have to beat that thing down again?" Yosuke complained, grabbing his head. It had been troublesome and dangerous enough to defeat it once.

"Naoto and I assumed it had something to do with her, because the cases and the fog were similar." Yuu added, pensive.

"Plus, she said she would come back…" The brunette said further, piling up more clues to reveal the identity of this recent enemy. "Even though we saw her die…"

"The name on the ofuda was different, though; it said Hiruko, right?" The blond continued. "It seemed to have been here a while, although I've never felt it until today. But it's obvious it hasn't gained so much strength as Izanami yet. I guess we found it in time…"

"How come you didn't feel it before?" Yosuke asked confused.

"The shadows only fight back when they feel attacked. Probably when Sensei and Naoto began investigating and confronting them, they maddened that thing."

"Yes, that must be it…" Yuu's expression was thoughtful, trying to figure a plan to conquer that monster and leave fast to get Naoto attention. "But we never saw that creature before until we heard you screaming. How did you find it?"

"You can thank Yosuke for that." The blond pointed with his fuzzy finger and washed his hands of the matter.

"Shut up…" The brunette crossed his arms over his chest, offended with the accusation. "Why was I the only one drawn to that thing?"

"Mmm… are you worried about something?" Kuma inquired. "Is there any problem you'd like to forget?"

Yosuke threw a furtive look at his reasons to be upset. Both of them. "Not really."

"Anyhow, if it is related to Izanami, the only one that can fight it is sensei, right…?" As the bear said that, the fog and the light around them suddenly increased its brightness. Only with looking up they saw once more the monster looming over them, persecuting them inadvertently due to its imposing silence, ready to launch its attack again.

"RUN!"

The three males raced to find a new refuge in the near debris. Yuu and Yosuke were fast, even carrying Naoto, but Kuma and his heavy outfit weren't so lucky.

Right at their backs, when they just entered the shelter of the rubbles, the bear passed flying, impelled by the violence of the glaring blazing beam.

"Kuma!" Yosuke called the charred figure that now was the costume, but he didn't answer nor move.

"Forget the plan; we have to take it out now." Yuu commanded, as he laid Naoto's body on the floor. "I'm going to take care of it, you wait here. I'll approach it and attack it."

"What? NO!" Still propped on his knees, Yosuke took Yuu's hand and prevented him from standing up completely. "It's too far, there's no cover, and you can't just walk in front of it..." The pleading teen tightened his hand around his lover's. He couldn't let go of him, he was too scared to do so. What if Yuu's strength wasn't enough? Last time they had faced the enemy all together, conveying all their force and wills to Yuu so he could defeat the evil goddess. He couldn't take any chances; if he lost Yuu, he'd lose the person who had brought the joy back to his life and that happiness… would die with him. "You can't go by yourself; I'll go with you…"

Yuu's eyes widened with Yosuke's resolution, but soon his gaze softened, filled with gratefulness and tenderness. He let go of the gripping hand and instead brought their faces close to each other. That way, all Yosuke could see was his grey ice orbs. "No, you have an important task that only you can do. I'm the one who needs you now. You will have to trust me this time. And not follow me." He added with a smile and a waving finger. "You know what to do, just wait for the right time." And so he left the protection of the ruins to confront their eternal rival.

"Wha-..." Yuu had his mind already set in the battle and the brunette was left behind still wondering what his friend meant. He could see Yuu's pupils rolling as he followed the spinning text on the creature's surface.

With courageous steps and adamant stare, the silver leader began his short but dangerous stretch until the distance to hit his target was close enough. The monster continued to look at them with no eyes, omnipresent, for they appeared worthless to be chased before it.

In the perpetual soundlessness, the shadow of human kind's 'true' wishes started to gather energy around its core a second time. However, Yuu's footsteps moved forward, always determined to reach their goal and fulfil his duty.

As the beam grew brighter, Yosuke's heartbeat quickened. And when the attack was casted, it simply stopped.

The beam was fast, but the silver's guardian was much more. Among the blinding light, Izanagi rose to protect his summoner. Sparks flew by the leader and it was the God of Creation who received most of the impact.

Nevertheless, Yosuke could still hear the faint groans of Yuu, grunting in pain. His first impulse was to leave the security of his refuge and go after the other teen, but Yuu's orders had been clear. Seeing his friend lose a bit of his power he understood his mission and resisted, awaiting his time to act.

In spite of the recent hit, Yuu kept forward, unyielding, as the enemy prepared to strike another time. Yet again, Izanagi was ready to take the blow and defend his master. This second time, Yosuke heard Yuu groaning loud and clear. His clothes took some damage as well and began singeing.

Once more, Hiruko charged against him. Izanagi lost some ground before the impact and Yuu's trembling figure went on, but his, at first, resolute steps were smaller and heavier.

The fourth blast was worse and the fifth, that last direct blow, was the last he could take. His Persona vanished into a deluge of scintillations in the turbid air and Yuu fell down to his knees, breathing convulsively.

Yosuke saw his lover defeated and he knew that was his key to act.

"Youthful Wind!" Yosuke felt the soft and forgotten push on his chest when his Persona separated from his being. A fresh breeze blew in circles from Susano-O's hands and enveloped Yuu.

For an eternal moment, Yosuke held his breath, imploring his timing hadn't been too late. " _Please."_  As if his wish resounded throughout the fog, Yuu began to get back on his feet. His hero stood up with renewed forces and he defied the monster one last time.

Hiruko didn't show any sign of rage to his pitiful but recovered adversary. However, its next attack was ejected much more quickly and violently than the previous ones.

Despite its velocity, Yuu managed to avoid it with a single elegant move and took the final step to plant himself before his enemy. In his natural serene voice, he whispered:

"Mirriad Arrows."

A shower of shining projectiles poured down over the monster, one after the other, infinitely. The mass of colour derived in a silvery coating, acutely piercing and destroying it. When the cloud of arrows dissipated, there wasn't even a trace of the monstrosity that was there seconds ago.

Little by little the air started to lose its brightness and the fog vanished along with it. That was the proof that once again they had achieved to win in the name of human's hopes and wills.

The victor turned around and dedicated a tired grin that disappeared when he fell again. Without a moment to lose, Yosuke could at last let go and run to his partner. "Yuu!" He voiced that name and released all his fear with that loud yell. He was impatient to set all his anguish free; to grab his face and kiss him fiercely. But with a signal of his eyes, Yuu stopped him. Behind them, Kuma was beginning to move, with small plaints. Again, Yosuke had to wait for another chance.

"Let's get the hell outta here." Yosuke said, standing up and extending his hand to Yuu, who accepted it with a smile.

* * *

"The doctor said it's just a bunch of bruises and burns, but I have to stay for the night." The petite blond complained with pouting lips to those present.

Yosuke, Kanji and Rise crowded together at the footboard of the stretcher after a long while of waiting to enter the room. During that time, Yosuke had briefed the others about what happened.

"Great, so you can tell Dojima what we did. If he goes too crazy, you're already in a hospital, anyway." The brunette teased him, still venting away his tension with that joke.

"Ha ~ha." Kuma answered with a sarcastic laugh.

"He can't get mad. You all saved the day after all." Kanji grinned.

"And solved the case the police couldn't for weeks!" Rise added, cheerfully.

"That thing…" The bear was deep in thought, in spite of his friends' good mood. "… it must have been there since Izanami was defeated…"

"And how come the police only filed cases from about two months ago?" The idol inquired. Naoto had explained a few further details after she woke up and was now escorted by Chie, Yukiko and Yuu.

"Maybe… it has something to do with Marie's departure." The thinking Kuma explained. "She somehow must have absorbed and contained the fog. When she left, it just expanded throughout the TV World. I hadn't noticed it until it was lit, but it might have been there all along… That thing didn't talk, so we couldn't gather much info."

"So what does that mean now?" Yosuke asked.

"I guess it means Marie's holidays are over. It's selfish to ask her that, when she was so excited to go and meet the world, but she must stay in town, just to be sure."

"Her tour finishes next month." Kanji pointed out. "Let's at least let her enjoy until then."

"That should be fine, right? I…umm… should go tell the others about this, guys." Yosuke excused himself out of the room. Yet, it was precisely that: an excuse. He didn't care about the news, not even about the rest of his friends. He only wanted to see him.

However, he didn't need to go all the way to Naoto's room. Outside the door, Yuu was sitting down on a bench, waiting for him. Only for him. "Hey."

"Hey."

"How is Naoto doing?" The brunette asked with some remaining guilt.

"Just tired, she'll recover." Yuu stood up and Yosuke thought his eyes didn't feel as cold as always.

The smaller teen pointed at the door behind him. "Kuma is fine too. Do you wanna go in and see…?"

The eager hands around his face startled him, but it was Yuu's sweet and intense kiss that hushed him. Yosuke was surprised, but he couldn't possibly refuse to that kiss, because he understood his lover's feelings all too well. He kissed him back with all the angst held back until then, even if for only a couple of seconds.

Obliged by the circumstances, Yosuke had to let go of those lips he so gladly would have kept feeding off. "Just what do you think you're doing here in the middle of the hallway?" Despite his objection, and his now reddened face, he didn't try to escape from Yuu's hold.

"I was so afraid that something might have happened to you back there. I was scared to lose you." Yuu confessed in an anguished murmur.

Yosuke was shocked to feel the cold hands trembling weakly against his skin. Back in the TV World, Yuu hadn't shown any sign of fear or doubt; he had carried himself with an admirable imperturbability, acted like the hero everyone always expected him to be. That's why it never occurred to him that his partner was as frightened as he was to lose him. It seemed that every time the silver lost the even tenor of his cool-headedness it was because of Yosuke.

With a mocking smirk that buried his tears within himself, Yosuke teased him. "Idiot! Do you think that's enough to take me out?"

And Yuu, who knew his friend well enough to recognize his same feelings in the other, smiled at him, his eyes full of affection. "I really want to get home tonight."

"Me too…"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, now that it was defeated, let me tell you a bit about Hiruko.  
> He was the first child of Izanagi and Izanami (long before they became eternal enemies, of course –black mark for marriage-). He was born without bones, or, in some stories, without arms and legs, due to his mother's transgression during the marriage ritual. Because of this he was sometimes associated with the image of a jellyfish. Hiruko struggled to survive but, as he could not stand, he was cast by his parents into the sea in a basket.  
> Thanks to this legend, the Japanese blamed women for any malformations in their born children. Fuck you Japan .|. Despite that, I love Japanese mythology 83  
> God bless Wikipedia. Otherwise I would have had to explain this in my own words xD


	13. August 21st - Part III

Before crossing the threshold of their room, the two desirous lovers were already over each other, kissing, caressing, touching, anything that could assure them that they were there and they were safe. The strain released made those contacts so heated and desperate that breaking them to breathe was becoming a worthless waste of time. Yosuke closed the door with his back, as he was trapped by Yuu against it, just to be kissed savagely again and again.

Only to speak up his sentiments, Yuu stopped.

"I was so scared..."

"I'm right here." Yosuke said once more. He had reassured Yuu a hundred times already, but he kept insisting. The silver seemed to be having an even harder time than him letting go of the past events.

With a still desperate look on his eyes, Yuu threw himself at Yosuke and embraced him with all his might. His partner imitated him and looped his arms around his shoulders equally tight and dotingly; then rested his forehead there, his eyes closed. "See?" How could he ever felt that Yuu didn't care for him?

"I want to be sure." Yuu lifted his lips to the other's ear and whispered in a dimmer tone. "I want to make love to you."

"HUH?!" Yosuke pushed his partner away from his body and his sympathy ended. "Y-You're saying you want to fuck my ass, aren't you?" He yelled, outraged. The thought that Yuu's distress was a barefaced act to ultimately ask for that certainly crossed Yosuke's mind.

"Well... If you say it like that..." Yuu tittered with a gloomy face.

"No! No! There's no way THAT..." Yosuke pointed down at the shaft awakened below Yuu's shorts. "...would fit inside me."

"I fitted these two." Yuu waved two of his fingers, the index and the middle one in front of his face.

"That's not remotely the same!" The brunette turned his back on the other, as Yuu chuckled with the comment.

"Thanks for the compliment, but I don't think I'm that big." The silver stepped forward and imprisoned his dear again. "Come on, please, I really want you... Plus, you said you  _'wanted to give me more of you'_ … right?"

Yosuke shrank against the door, embarrassed of his own words. He couldn't deny the humiliating promises he had made. But... "Why do I have to be the bottom?" He asked more quietly. Yosuke would be lying if he said he hadn't thought about things getting to this point while they both engaged in their lewd games, but it was embarrassing making it easy for Yuu, even if he was willing and curious to do it too; even if the idea of Yuu entering inside of him had been roaming around in his head and he had been slowly enticed by it.

"Because when I touch you here..." The taller male spoke in a seductive murmur and slid his finger to Yosuke's butt and rubbed it against it slowly. "...you enjoy it so much." Yosuke just grew smaller hearing more undeniable and shameful truths about himself. "And also, you make the cutest fac-"

"OK, OK! I'll do it! Shut up already!" Yosuke shove Yuu aside and walked out the door with his face changing into various shades of red.

A minute later, he was back, carrying something. "Just don't forget to use this." He tossed it at his friend, with a harsh voice.

The silver haired grabbed it in the air. "Vaseline?"

"Do you have a better idea? Because I would LOVE to hear it." The brunette spat defensively.

"No, no, it's fine, you're right." Yuu soothed his partner, snickering, to not irritate him more than he already was and began undressing quietly. Yosuke imitated him and started taking off his shirt slowly.

"So," Yuu broke the silence teasingly. "you were jealous of Naoto?"

Instead of the expected sharp answer, Yosuke stopped his hands and looked down, with sadness, making Yuu also stop. "Of course I was. She's a girl..."

Yuu sniggered with tenderness. "You are so honest." However, he probably was unable to realize the full extent of Yosuke's insecurities. He let his shorts fall to the floor and, almost naked and completely tempting, he neared the other teen. Even blurred with sorrow, Yosuke's eyes couldn't help to examine the lovely view; they travelled along the milky skin, from his head to his toes. While he was focused at it, Yuu took advantage and planted a surprising kiss on his lips, so fast that Yosuke couldn't kiss back and left him dumfounded. Then there, as close as the other as he could be, Yuu said to him, slowly and clearly to make him understand: "Yosuke, you are not a replacement for a woman. I want  _you_ , just the way  _you_  are. Only you and no one else. I love you."

Those three small words with a giant meaning enclosed within them, echoed in Yosuke's head. He froze. He didn't know how to answer to that. Or rather, he did know, but wasn't sure to respond in the same way. Right then, he didn't have a reply yet.

Nervous, he cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Are we gonna do it or what?" Even the perspective of losing his virginity seemed less threatening than to deepen into that complicated feeling.

"Sure." Yuu answered turning his expression into a sensuous smirk. "How do you want to do it? Doggy style?" He proposed with a cool wink, as if it was nothing.

"What?! Not a chance! That's way too embarrassing!" Yosuke's blood was rushing back to his face.

"Oh? So you want me to see your horny face below me?" Yuu continued in an exaggerated teasing tone. "Or perhaps... could it be that you want to ride me?"

"I CHANGED MY MIND!" Yosuke yelled with his legs already starting to get inside his underwear again. Why did Yuu have to make it so much harder for him?

Yuu couldn't contain his laughter anymore before Yosuke's cute reaction. "Sorry, sorry." He grabbed his lover by the arm and stopped him from keep putting on his clothes. "I won't say anymore embarrassing stuff. I promise." He tried to give Yosuke a small peck on his cheek but he moved his face away.

However, he shyly agreed to return. Maybe Yuu's teasing was just a proof that he was as nervous as him, under his layer of ice.

Honouring his word, Yuu dropped his provoking attitude. "You just lie there." He commanded softly.

In the heaviest muteness, Yosuke swallowed hard and crawled onto the futon to cautiously lie there. He remembered how he felt the first time they intimated: stiff, scared, nervous, uncomfortable, but in the end, it was worth it. He took a heartfelt breath and tried to put his emotions in balance.

His lover topped him slowly enough, as if Yosuke was a spooked fawn and with great sweetness, a gentleness thought only reserved to Naoto, he trapped Yosuke's mouth into another kiss. First he enclosed delicately the upper lip, then the lower one. He sucked on them lightly, capturing them playfully, then freeing them quickly; sometimes licking them with the impish tip of his tongue, all kind caresses, putting Yosuke under a numbing spell. Yuu's frolicsome fingertips traced a path across his chest and abdomen. The touch was so ephemeral that it raised goose bumps on its way and hypnotised Yosuke even more, calming him and letting Yuu sooth his reluctance. As his fingers reached his groin, the brunette laced up his arms behind the other's neck.

With fondles over his crotch, his sex, and his testicles, bit by bit, Yuu awakened Yosuke's desire. His hand danced up and down over the stirred up organ to muddle his mind. Yosuke, stoked by the touch, tried to take over the kissing but Yuu denied it to him and continue with doting and steady patience, sweetly torturing him and at the same time arousing him even more.

Yuu's hand abandoned the erection and clumsily looked for the lube bottle on the night table. He never took his eyes upon it. Instead he intuitively opened the container and soaked his fingers in it, always focusing on Yosuke and the incessant dancing of their mouths.

The slippery fingers retraced their way and reached for Yosuke's virginal entrance. The bottom male quietly opened his insecure legs and exposed himself to Yuu, swallowing his man pride once more to satisfy the sexual urges that only the silver created in him. But Yuu's slick fingers slipped swiftly inside the moment he, unused to that oiliness, pressed them against the skin. Yosuke emitted a hiss, more out of surprise than of pain.

"It's ok, go on." The brunette agreed with clenched eyes.

Carefully then the silver started to move his fingers inside his beloved one. His phalanges performed slow circular or scissoring movements, hiding and coming out again of the tight flesh, dissuading his lover's body to let him in.

It didn't take too long before Yosuke started to take pleasure in that touch, especially because the slithery liquid made it more pleasant. As always, he was eager for those fingers to found  _that_ sensitive spot. His hips tried to help them and he concealed the spark in his eyes behind his eyelids, wondering if Yuu's cock would also be able to meet that place. Gradually, his deep breaths turned into laboured whimpers.

As he got lost in the indulgence, Yuu announced in a hasty whisper: "I'm going to put another one in, ok?"

"Wha- aaah~~" The insertion of a third guest, tensed Yosuke's back and arched it in pain. He felt like his flesh was going to tear apart. The idea of something, someone, entering inside him was becoming suddenly too real. "Yuu, please…" He asked gasping.

Yet, the silver ignored his plea. His mouth placed minute and soothing pecks on the skin of Yosuke's neck, as the other tightened his embrace around his. "Just relax." He at least consented to apply gentler thrusts into the entrance until the other started to loosen up again.

"That's easy to say." He replied and hid his panting face in Yuu's wide shoulders. However, he found that as it had happened every time before, his body always responded when it was Yuu who demanded it. His anatomy always moulded to accept him at last. Even more, it ended asking for so much more of him.

The touching filled the fuggy air of the bedroom with wet sounds, subdued by the moans of the teen being prepared. In his head, confusion, delight, hurt and affection mixed into a puzzling blend, but he got beyond that the moment he felt ready to welcome Yuu in.

And the silver, who always appeared to read his mind, asked right then, "Can I put it in?" Even behind the cloak of stolidness, some urge could be heard in his voice. Yosuke glimpsed his lover in the eyes and agreed with a silent nod.

Yuu withdrew his fingers and placed himself where they were before. The tip of his manhood pressed lightly against the sore entrance and bit by bit, he pushed his way inside.

Yosuke's body contorted before the unknown feeling. He grasped the sheets and the pillow behind him and meowed a suggestive high-pitched moan that he futilely tried to muffle against the back of his hand and was soon followed by heated gasps. His eyelids closed half way and covered the shade of tiny teardrops. He formed such a delicious view. Or so he guessed, as he found the widened greyish orbs peering him, underlined by a pinkish shade above a slightly dropped jaw.

The brunette tried to cover his face and avoid the scorching gaze of those eyes.

"D-don't stare…"

"S-sorry." Yuu panted and resumed his task to connect with his dear. With every millimetre he advanced, his brows twitched.

As the silver made his way inside and reached unexplored places within Yosuke, the bottom began to ache in nooks of his body he didn't even know he had or he could sense. His skin felt so taut around his rear that he feared to move and rip himself. He tried to hold back his noises, but the deeper Yuu entered, his voice sounded more provocative and that evidently was taking effect on his lover. After all, the top teen was as virginal as he was.

"Can I move now?" Yuu requested with his voice already faltering.

Yosuke took a last deep breath and closed his eyes as he nodded again.

* * *

Both teens were lying side to side, staring blankly at the ceiling, with awkward expressions on their faces.

"So…" Yosuke interrupted finally the uncomfortable silence. "I guess we did it?" He uttered vacantly, without looking at the other directly.

Yuu muffled a huff and pointed his eyes away. That was the closest Yosuke ever came to see him really embarrassed.

"It's ok, Yuu. It could happen to anybody."

Yuu sighed, even more flustered. Then he turned around and with a sincerely felt look, he earnestly said to Yosuke: "At least you didn't come first this time. Congrats."

They looked to one another with straight faces for a moment. Then both of them burst in awkward tittering than soon became louder laughter.

The truth was that no matter how long they tried, Yosuke was too nervous to even be near an orgasm. Moreover, Yuu was too excited and only managed to thrust into his lover such few times that Yosuke could count them. However, he felt united to Yuu in a way he had never before. Instead of owned or subjugated, he thought that Yuu was completely trapped inside of him. While he remained within him, nobody could snatch him away, male or female. That perception gave him the strength to endure through the pain and accept Yuu.

"Ouch. Don't make me laugh, it hurts." Yosuke accused between his pained guffaws.

"Sorry." Yuu apologized still gigging. "Is it that bad?"

"Do you want me to do you and try it for yourself?" Yosuke joked with a teasing smirk.

"Sure." Yuu agreed calmly, with his impassive smile. He accepted it so tranquilly but seriously that left Yosuke speechless.

"We'll see." The brunette answered after an instant of reflection while he considered the proposal.

"Next time will be better." Yuu promised quietly. His hand reached for Yosuke's cheek and caressed it with lots of affection. The teen cherished closed his eyes to appreciate the sweet sentiments his lover saved only for him.

"I'm sorry, Yuu." The brunette apologized under his breath. "I was so jealous that I even followed you and put you in danger. I'm really sorry."

"I understand; I was spending a lot of time with her." The silver grinned sympathetically.

"It's… it's not that." Yosuke sighed his words out. "It's because you treated her so fondly that… You d-don't treat me like that." It was so difficult for him to recognise it, but it was precisely because they hadn't been completely honest with each other that their actions led to many misunderstandings.

"I treat her like a girl." Yuu excused himself, wide-eyed before that revelation. "Yosuke, it's not that I don't want to be gentle with you, it's just that I thought I'd hurt your pride if I did." That much was proof of how well Yuu knew his partner; he hadn't been wrong to think that way, and Yosuke was aware that he could be obstinate to his own feelings sometimes.

"Well, it wouldn't kill me to let you be all lovey-dovey with me from time to time. If that's what  _you_  want." He took a moment to rethink his speech. It was time to start being true to himself and mostly to Yuu. The love the silver professed to him merited at least that much. "I mean, I want that too."

"Of course. You're my boyfriend after all." Yuu smiled with a clear gleam of happiness in his eyes. His hand then looked for his boyfriend's below the sheets.

"I guess that's what we are." Yosuke said flushed but content.

 


	14. August 25th

The sunshine that knocked on Yosuke's eyes told him it was closer to noon than to dawn. After a night of such a deep sleep, he tried to move his stiff body but a heavy weight impeded him. Yuu was resting sound asleep on his chest, brushing his skin softly with his deep breath and holding him prisoner of his embrace.

It wasn't the first time the brunette woke up like this. Yuu had the habit of drifting off between Yosuke's arms and even if he wouldn't say it aloud, he loved that adorable feature of the silver.

The male awake gave up on his attempt and let his eyes close again; he was dead beat since last night. Yuu had taken him from behind. And it was taking its toll on his body.

It had actually been Yosuke's idea. It occurred to him that position would be less embarrassing for him; for he wouldn't have to show Yuu his uke-ish expressions. However, it ended up being even worse thanks to the lewd sounds that filled the bedroom. Not only the noise of the swaying of their hips clashing, flesh against flesh, but also his own moans that the pillow couldn't silence. Interspersed with heated whining, he had called Yuu's name time after time; he had brazenly begged for more.

It had been loud, yes. For moments he feared his parents would hear them, but that fright shattered into pieces with each one of Yuu's thrusts making him lose control over his voice. It had been kind of shaming, that too. Yet Yosuke had never felt so aroused in his life as he had when his back arched more and more with irresistible desire. Yuu's hand masturbating him had been only another pleasurable detail; he probably would have finished by feeling his partner's hunger for him in his groping hands, his piercing orbs, and his throbbing cock.

Even perceiving the sticky traces of their seeds and sweats mixed on his skin, he didn't regret having shown his boyfriend a side so honest and raw of himself. At least he could open up that much to him, before he left.

Yosuke's eyelids drew back suddenly. In a matter of days, hours, Yuu would take leave. He'd have to return to the city and the closer that day was the clearer that realization became. An urging pang of distress pierced his soul. He always knew the day would come, even before the silver arrived, but it was different back then. Now, Yuu was unique to him in a much more special sense of the word.

Yosuke observed his boyfriend's peaceful expression. How much longer would he be able to observe that face? His never wrinkled brow, his long eyelashes, the delicate curve of his nose, the elegant hillocks of his cheekbones, the soft rosé tone of his lips.  _"Damn."_  Yuu never seemed so unreachably beautiful to him until the perspective of losing him shaped in his mind. The brunette's chest pumped up with an angsty sigh and he squeezed the other more tightly.

The sleeping male then woke up with a light groan and revolved inside the embrace. With drowsy eyes he looked up at his staring partner. "What?" He asked before letting out a grumpy yawn.

"I was just thinking how ugly you look when you sleep." Yosuke answered in low tones with a fake smile.

Yuu threw an enigmatic glance at him and silently sat on the futon and rubbed his eyes. "I must be truly horrible for you to make a face like that."

Yosuke's grin became more honest. It was useless to try and hide his feelings from Yuu; his friend knew him just too well. "The day after tomorrow… that's the day you're leaving, right?" The silver nodded in response without a word. He appeared to be as enthusiastic of the idea as the other.

Then, still laying on the beddings, the brunette wringed the cloth of Yuu's pyjamas over his leg, making a quiet plea. His smile vanished and was replaced by a watery glint in his sad eyes.

The silver turned startled and grinned tenderly as he petted his dear's hair. "I know. I don't want to go either. I'll miss you too." Yuu's hand slid down and grazed his boyfriend's cheek with the back of his fingers in one of the sweet gestures he now used to perform after the brunette's consent. Yosuke sighed. He loved how Yuu could put in words what he felt without the need of explaining it.

"My parents will be out tomorrow night." The householder announced. Tomorrow's evening would be their last one together. "We could do something."

"Something special?" Yuu asked surprised but pleased. "I'd like that. What do you have in mind?"

"J-just, you know, whatever you want." The other answered evasively, hiding his face a bit in the silver's leg.

"I can cook you something." Yuu proposed amused about something Yosuke didn't understand.

"Cool. I haven't tasted your delicious food in a long time." The brunette said more excited.

"Then it's settled. Romantic dinner it is."

"It's just dinner." Yosuke mumbled, flustered again.

"And then…" Yuu began, leaning over his partner and covering him with his own body. He parted Yosuke's legs and placed himself between them. "… we could take bath together." He finished suggestively.

At first, Yosuke was about to protest. However he took a second to savour the idea. The thought of Yuu, naked, completely wet, slippery and glossy. They'd start on opposite sides of the tub; then a touch, maybe the caress of a leg against the other, turned up the heat. A feet sliding down a thigh. A dampened kiss. The water splashing on their skins as they shake it up. The liquid entering inside him along with Yuu. How could that feel…?

"That'd… be nice…" Yosuke answered swallowing hard.

"It's a date. I'll make sure everything is perfect." Yuu promised and inclined forward to give Yosuke a deep and loving kiss.

* * *

"Senpai!" Rise cried when Yuu and Yosuke arrived to the food court at Junes where the rest of the group was gathered, waiting for them, below a sunshade. The idol left his seat and ran towards the silver haired teen to cling to his arm. "I've got awesome news for you!"

"What is it?" Yuu asked with a patient grin.

"We've decided to go to the festival in the next city tomorrow night as a farewell event for you! Isn't it great?" The girl announced cheerfully.

Yosuke and Yuu exchanged a quick look for a brief moment, unsure of what to do and say. The brunette's head started to work at top speed. Yosuke was frantically trying to come up with something. He searched his whole mind to invent any good excuse why the so longed and dear guest would not spend his last evening in town having fun with all his friends in an entertaining scenery. But the result was negative.

Even if Yuu wasn't a particularly demonstrative person, it was obvious that he wasn't exactly thrilled with the proposal.

"Mhn? What's going on, senpai? You don't like my idea?" Rise squeezed more on his arm and pouted.

"It wasn't your idea." Chie mumbled from behind.

Yuu threw another glimpse at Yosuke but said teen only shrugged his shoulders, defeated.

The silver tried an insecure answer. "It's a good plan. Though I have to wake up early and if we have to travel back from the festival…"

"Don't you leave at 10 a.m.?" Yukiko asked nosily, ruining the last ray of Yosuke's hope.

"Right? You'll have plenty of time to sleep. Come on, don't spoil the fun!" Chie added and Yosuke hated her a bit.

"And we'll miss you so much after tomorrow, sensei!" Kuma protested too.

"I guess I don't have a choice." Yuu finished with his winning smile, making Rise squeal out of happiness.

"Great! It's Dai Chochin Matsuri, have you ever been to one of those, senpai? It's so beautiful! And we'll be taken there by car; I might even get a limo…" The idol started to blabber about all the details of the soiree. Yet Yosuke couldn't hear any other noise that of his plans and illusions falling apart.

 


	15. August 26th - The Beginning

"Ma~tsu~ri, ma~tsu~ri!" Kuma chanted over and over as he took the two girls sitting on his sides' hands, Rise and Yukiko, and made them leap up and down along with him.

Obviously, Rise's manager had not allowed the young party to go there by limousine, because it would cause an uproar in a place as crowded as the festival. Instead, the man got them a quite spacious van.

Yosuke shunned the company of his friends and ensconced in one of the back seats as soon as he got into the vehicle. He didn't want to maintain a façade and pretend to be having a blast for more time than the strictly needed. Besides, from that spot he could observe Yuu perfectly, seated in front of him talking animatedly with Kanji and Chie, whenever he wanted.

The brunette sighed and looked at his blurred reflection on the window. His plans had been ruined, but his reason to be so upset was deeper than that. He needed that night to happen, that special time to confirm something he had been brooding over in his heart. Suddenly, the light blue and brown strips of his yukata fused with another figure's colours on the glass and he turned around.

"May I take this seat?" Naoto asked politely, with a light smile. Yosuke nodded, grinning back at her.

The girl arranged the layers of his kimono to accommodate by his side; the fabric was the same deep blue as her hair. All of the participants were dressed for the occasion as well and formed a cheerful and colourful group.

The van began moving with the light push of the inertia. Yosuke felt the girl scrutinizing him for a moment with examining detective eyes. "You don't look particularly content." She slipped the remark, almost a question.

"Really?" The male teen's smile shrank a little.

Fortunately, Naoto dropped the subject and changed the talk into other topics.

Yosuke imagined the trip to their destination would be tedious at best. For starters he didn't like to travel and his bad mood wasn't a good help. However, the short haired female made it very enjoyable with her interesting chat, even if the brunette didn't feel very talkative in the beginning. She actually inquired a lot about Yosuke, but in a polite and assertive way and he felt comfortable answering her. They hadn't really had a proper one on one conversation before and he discovered her company to be delightful. It was not a mystery why Yuu was so fond of her, regardless of how begrudged he had felt about her.

From time to time his eyes drifted off unnoticed to the silver. He couldn't less than stare at him for a few brief moments. His greyish garments set off his features deliciously. He looked... sexy. Only Yuu could turn something as dull as traditional clothes into a piece of sensuality.

Sometimes his boyfriend caught him peeking and rejoined his stare with a teasing gaze and smirk, making him more sensuous and causing Yosuke's mouth to water. "Don't be unfair." He would have liked to tell him. Not today. Not tonight. It made him suspect the answer to the feelings he had been digging in but if he stumbled upon the response right then he wouldn't be able to say it properly.

Yosuke continued to distract himself from that with Naoto's chat. He used that short ride to make peace with her; or better said, with himself and his guilt, reluctant to leave, because the subject never actually came up.

Before he knew it, the vehicle stopped. He looked out the window and realised they had already arrived. One by one the occupants descended with loud comments and cheers until there was nobody left inside, except for the two teens in the back seats.

The male took a deep breath. "Naoto." The girl was ready to leave but the call made her turn around in response. "I'm... sorry." He wasn't sure the girl would know exactly what he meant; at least not that the true meaning behind his apology was the resentment he had unjustifiedly felt towards her.

A knowing smile drew on the young detective's face as she shook her head. "It's ok. I wouldn't sit with my arms folded if I suspected someone was trying to steal my girl away either." She said shrewdly and disappeared with a short leap outside.

"What?" Yosuke murmured. Saying Naoto's words had left him dumbfounded would have been an understatement. "Steal?" Did she know something about them? "Wait..."  _My girl...?_  "WHAT?!"

Yosuke followed her in a haste to evacuate his doubts, but found her already gathered with the group below the towering crimson torii of the entrance and he had to forget about his questions.

"Come on, Yosuke~senpa~~~i!" Or we're leaving you behind!" Rise called, waving her arm in the air. With a lively giggle she ran inside and the group followed her.

Only Yuu delayed his pace and waited for the brunette to catch up with him. Once he was right by his side, the silver approached his partner closer, much closer, until their shoulders were almost grazing with each other. Yosuke threw him a suspicious look but soon he understood everything, when he felt Yuu's slender fingers looking for his hand amongst the pleats of the cloth. How he loved Yuu's small gestures. Without losing a second, the brunette laced their hands together, flushed pink. He was taken by surprise by such a bold action, but he could empathize with his boyfriend's impatience; that was supposed to be their night. Since Yuu's yukata was borrowed, his sleeves were a bit long and allowed them to hide their affectionate touch. If they were careful enough, it looked like they were just standing very close to each other.

And no one could blame them to do so, considering the ocean of people that received them once inside the festivity.

"Wow, this is quite crowded." Chie pointed out when she drew her steps to a halt in a clearing.

Yukiko nodded in agreement "It's easy to get separated here."

"I hope we do get lost." Yosuke thought embittered.

The temple's grounds were vast. Yosuke had never been to a shrine this big, but the amount of people could pack out the place. The brunette took a moment to look around. The lanterns weren't lit yet, but in spite of that they were imposing already. There were also smaller ones, lined up on long strings, red, yellow, orange, shining with the minute flames inside them. Most people were wearing traditional clothing and that infused the atmosphere with a dreamy aura. It was indeed a beautiful place to create memories, or say goodbye, or uncover buried feelings.

"What should we do first?" Rise raised the question while clapping her hands. "There's plenty of stuff to do!"

A practical idea, popped in Yosuke's mind. "Look, Yuu. There's a takoyaki stall over there." He pointed his index at a far off sing, above the crowd. "You like that, right? Why don't we go buy some?" He proposed, considering that eating was the most boring activity so nobody would have an interest in joining them.

However, before the silver could answer, Kuma overtook him. "Ooooh, I love takoyaki~! I want some too!"

"Actually, I'm kind of hungry too." Kanji commented. "I could eat something."

"We could go grab a bite and then start walking around the stalls." Rise said. Many mumbles of approval sounded and that's how the group decided to go all together to buy the food.

Yosuke followed the party with a bitter look, escorted by Yuu. He cursed himself and his great ideas with every step he took. His partner could easily guess his mood. "Let it go." Yuu advised him and Yosuke couldn't say no to his soothing smile. He also loved that smile. He held tight on Yuu's hand until it was imperative to set it free and eat, even if the brunette had lost his appetite.

He munched on the octopus meat and ignored how delicious it tasted. His mind was set into trying to figure a way to get any moment of solitude with Yuu. Even five minutes would be enough; he only wanted to share a moment of intimacy in that evening, before Yuu left and only God knew when they could meet again.

Yet, fate had decided not to give the couple a second of truce. It didn't matter where Yosuke proposed to go or what he recommended to do, it seemed his friends found all of his plans superb. When had they begun obeying him so much?

 _"You have to be kidding me."_  He thought after he suggested going to pray and everyone believed that since they were at a shrine it would be a wonderful idea. Yuu remained impassive before the frustrated intents of his lover when he obviously could see through his intentions.

Yosuke tossed some coins in the offering box, moody.  _"If you don't care, Yuu, why should I?"_  He reproached the other in his mind. However, his prayer said otherwise, when he joined his palms and closed his eyes.  _"Please, let me..."_  He entreated for his wish to come true with all his might, all the strength in his soul.

Nevertheless, right after expressing his request, bells started to chant, announcing it was time to set on the lanterns.  _"That's it."_ Yosuke accepted. He sincerely had hoped that the next thing that happened would somehow magically make everyone disappear and allow him to finally meet Yuu alone. He took the bells as a signal of destiny to finally declare the defeat.

"Yay, finally!" Rise yelled.

"Let's go find a spot where we can have a good look." Yukiko added.

"But we should hurry, it'll start soon." Naoto hustled the group along. All of the teenagers started to step away from the altar hurriedly. Yosuke followed them too, resigned, after a pause.

Yet a firm hand grasped his wrist and Yuu dragged him to the opposite side. He tried to ask what was that about but instead he found himself soon getting lost into the crowd, running his feet out and avoiding any chance to be chased after by their friends. They ran to their hearts' content, until they were only surrounded by strange faces.

Yosuke tried to recover his breath and then finally spoke to his partner. "Yuu, why did you do that?" He asked, although he had willingly followed him. "The guys will get mad."

The silver stared at him, deeply, earnestly. "It doesn't matter. All I want is to be with you tonight." He confessed, making Yosuke finally understand that once more he had stubbornly doubted Yuu's intentions. He was just taking action in his own way; maybe he had been waiting for that tiny opportunity to flee the entire evening. Yosuke wanted to reply, but he didn't have time.

In that moment thousands of fires lit, filling the night with light and colour. The colossal lanterns shone with millions of different tones. Fantastic figures decorated their surfaces and they seemed to be brought to life with the vigour of the flames. Time appeared to stop as all the people held in a gasp of amazement. One after the other the lamps started to shine like comets fallen from the sky. The sight was so magnificent that it looked surreal, brittle like an illusion. The light projected over Yuu's face, turning his features into an oneiric set of beautiful and whimsical shades, turning him into another part of that dream.

Right then, as he looked at his boyfriend gazing at the spectacle, Yosuke realised it. He was in love with Yuu. He loved him; madly. It was a brimming sentiment, different to everything else; new and irrepressible. The strongest and most beautiful sensation he had ever experienced.

But that recognition brought along another feeling with it: desperation. Yosuke's immature and inexperienced heart couldn't understand how to live without the one he had come to adore. He couldn't bear the suffocating idea of him leaving, not now when he had finally understood how much his lover and best friend meant to him.

Feeling observed, the silver turned around and found two sad pools staring at him, hopelessly. He smiled, tranquilly and smoothly, like always, like he knew no other way. "Do the lanterns bore you?"

"Don't go." The brunette said soundlessly, inaudibly. Yosuke's voice choked with the tears he was desperately trying to contain, biting on his lip and repeating to himself that men shouldn't cry. He tried to mutter again the words that came out so weakly. "Don't go." He was at his limit.

Suddenly he felt Yuu's hand behind his nape. In a single push his face was hidden against the base of the silver's neck, only a second before his shoulders started to shake and the fabric below his eyes began to dampen. Yuu kindly pretended not to listen to his quiet sobs. His boyfriend thoughtfully spared him the shame of watching him cry, or did so to hide the silent tear Yosuke felt rolling down his own neck.

* * *

Somewhere else, far from there, the rest of their friends were also enchanted with the display of colour and magic.

"It's beautiful." Yukiko gasped.

"It's so romantic..." Kuma said with a deep sigh.

Shyly and slyly, Naoto encircled Rise's arm. The idol smiled at her, the lights of the lamps glittered in her eyes. The short haired girl grinned back slightly, happy.

"I hope the senpais aren't missing this." Rise commented in a soft voice, as if the moment might get ruined by any noise.

Naoto let out a very small laugh. "I hope they are." She said, in a whisper, to herself.

And they were. Only their backs were still facing the breathtaking show, as they ran frantically to catch the last train home.

 


	16. August 26th - The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, well, this is the final chapter of this fic ^_^

**August 26th**

 The doors closed behind their backs. They made it just in time before the last train left and, hot and gasping, they boarded.

Many eyes turned to look, puzzled at the two teens running in unusual clothing. A little embarrassed from all the stares, Yosuke followed Yuu and they both sat in a corner of the coach to try attracting less attention. But, ugh, why couldn't all of the people leave? Yosuke wished, tightening his lips. The things he wanted to do with Yuu... he couldn't wait any more, yet he certainly didn't want to do them in front of their audience.

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt Yuu's furtive hand sliding up his thigh. He rapidly stopped it, squeezing his fingers inside his own palm.  _"Don't make it harder."_  Yosuke begged with his eyes; and they didn't exchange another word during all that time.

Really, why didn't the rest of the passengers disappear? Was he not supposed to spend any time alone with his boyfriend today? Yosuke thought in a tantrum.

And God finally decided to hear his prayers for once that night. Station after station, the passengers started to make room for the young couple's exploding feelings. Except for a lady, sitting in the opposite side of the coach, distractedly lost in the sounds of her headphones, unaware of how much Yosuke was cursing her.  _"Go, go, go, go."_

A strange pressure on his hand distracted him from his own thoughts. Yuu was grabbing his hand tightly, anxiously; in that moment he noticed that Yuu was glaring equally intensely at the female passenger. He smiled, a bit relieved and moved, right when the next station was announced on the speakers and the young woman stood up.

The waiting teens followed her with their sight, all the way from her seat to the doors. As soon as her figure abandoned the space, the boys let their feelings bloom.

Yuu jumped over Yosuke and trapped him against the back of the seat. His hand cupped the brunette's face and retained him, immobilising him even to breathe. The train ride had seemed eternal, but now Yosuke didn't want to reach its end. The rest of the travel would be just for the two of them.

But it did. The couple left the train station behind quickly. As they practically ran home, the teens made their way back through the familiar town.  _"Tomorrow we'll be here, running to the opposite side..."_  A sudden sob tried to escape Yosuke, but he held it in. He tried to keep his mind blank and avoid the thoughts that wanted to assault his head, but it was too strong; it was too real.

Yuu would go again. He'd leave for the big city, full of life and distractions, he'd leave him and that town behind, but Yosuke... Yosuke had to stay and watch every day the streets they had both walked, side by side, all the windows that had seen their reflections together, all the places where his heart had hastened because of Yuu, which had seemed so insignificant before, but that from tomorrow on would become constant reminders that the person he loved was gone.

Yet none as much as their bedroom, the four walls within everything always started between them; where everything had always ended. However, it was never a finale, it was until their next encounter and this time there would not be a next.

How was he supposed to return to that room tomorrow night where only the emptiness would be waiting for him? Where he could hush but even so, he wouldn't listen to the peaceful sound of Yuu's breath to his sleep and his smile wouldn't receive him in the morning?

They stepped into that bedroom and threw themselves into each other's arms, yet by the time their lips met, Yosuke's tears were already running down his cheeks. At first they ignored the saltiness mixed with the warmth of their kisses, but eventually, Yosuke's irrepressible sobs were too intense. He had finally forgotten than he "had to" be a macho man; he simply couldn't bear the burden of this loneliness.

Yuu separated a minimum distance away, with the face full of concern for his boyfriend. "Yosuke, are you ok?"

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to trouble you." The brunette apologized between laments, wiping the teardrops with the back of his wrists vainly. The thoughts that keep them falling still lurked in his mind. "I'm sorry for being such a pain when you're about to leave. I'm sorry. I won't cry anymore." But an even more miserable sob escaped him instead.

"You know I don't mind that." Yuu replied, his eyebrows knitting with some irritation. "You don't need to carry all the weight on your own. Tell me what you are thinking."

"What for? It's pointless anyway."

"Then what can I do for you to stop crying?" Yuu asked, uneasy.

The crying male contained another whining and an acid grin curled his lips up slightly. "Stay."

"Yosuke..."

"I know." The brunette interrupted before Yuu could say something he didn't need to hear; promises and excuses weren't going to cure the ache of his heart. "I know it's impossible. I know you have a life and commitments. I understand all of that. But this is what's in my head and you wanted to hear it, so just give me the pleasure of asking it." Although he knew the answer perfectly well. "Forget about school, about college, about everyone else. Let's just live here, together, working at the mall, making it up as we go. I'll take care of you, I'll give you everything you want and need. I don't care; I just want you to stay." Yosuke supplicated in vain with his sad smile, desperate, trembling and dampened in tears.

"Yosuke, don't be silly, I'm not leaving forever. I'll come back for you..." Yuu tried to explain, but it only made his partner snap.

"You don't know that!" Yosuke almost yelled with a sceptic laugh. "You'll go to the city; you'll get a good job, go to college, and meet... someone else… while I'll be stuck in this shitty town for the rest of my life! And… you'll forget about me." He finished, supporting the load of his despair grabbing Yuu's sleeves, lowering his face in his shoulder and hiding from the silver's extremely serious expression.

Yuu sighed tiredly and let his boyfriend cry it off for a moment, in silence. When the time was right, he cupped Yosuke's face between both hands and forbid him to from shutting himself up behind his wall of obstinacy. He brought their foreheads together and impeded the brunette to flee from his feelings again.

"Yosuke, hear me out." Yuu talked in a slow and grave tone, whilst grazing their four lips together, wetting his with the tears rolling onto them. He was so close that their breaths fused in one sigh; like this, he could send directly into Yosuke's body the words coming out of his mouth. "Since I left I got a job… I saved cent after cent… I behaved like the perfect son… I studied my ass off to get good grades and have my parents allowing me to come. And all of that was just to return here and see your face again, one more time; knowing that you'd have probably forgotten about me, that you'd have moved on and hooked up with some random chick by the time I got here. And I would have finally had to accept that you'd never be mine. Yosuke, I've loved you for more than a year, sure that it would all be in vain. You think that I'd forget you now that I have you?"

The younger teen took a step back, his eyes widened in shock; the tears had ceased from the surprise.

"I... Yuu, I didn't... know..." The silver had never confessed how deep and back his sentiments went. Of course Yosuke had had his suspicions; Yuu had given him all the clues throughout the time they'd shared. Yet he believed those feelings were more an expression of caring, curiosity, boredom and longing before they actually started to intimate, but not true love. So Yuu did understand his pain. He had gone through the same when he had left many months ago and supported all quietly by himself. Yet Yosuke had been selfish again and put his grief before his lover's. Why did he distrust Yuu so much?

"I swear I won't leave you." Yuu finished after the muteness that had followed Yosuke's words.

The brunette sank his fingers into Yuu's hair and pulled his love to him to kiss him deeply, startling the other. Every passionate thrust of his tongue said  _"Thank you",_  an appreciation for loving him in such a devoted way; he also tried to record with those caresses the bittersweet flavour of Yuu's mouth in his.

His hands dropped down, blindly looking for the obi of Yuu's yukata and clumsily pulled the strips of cloth to undo the lace, creating an opening to find the treasure below. The sides of the robe opened like curtains and his arms adventured to embrace the desired body. He tried to imprint the cool and strong touch of his skin on his palms; also, the alternating movement of his chest, breathing in heat, and the frantic pulse of his heart below it.

He too tried to remember the sound of his sweet sighs and small moans muffled inside their kiss and the smell of his perfume, forever.

But there was one more thing he wanted the most.

"Yuu, can I do something?" The brunette whispered, breaking their contact.

"You can do anything you want with me." The silver-haired agreed; his eyes were barely opened, only a fine line. He was numbed and bewitched by Yosuke's initiative.

Without losing a second, Yosuke pushed Yuu from the chest, resolutely but carefully. He drove him pass the futon and forced him to sit on the bed, with his back resting on the wall behind him.

Yuu submitted to those commands and stared at his lover from the bed with a dim grin and his eyes widened, expectant and excited with Yosuke's unusual boldness.

Impatiently, the brunette practically tore off the lace on his own clothes and let them fall to the floor, all of them.

Then, bear and provocative, he kneeled between Yuu's legs and started planting small and teasing pecks from his bellybutton to the verge of the underwear, which he pulled out roughly and let it slide down his legs to uncover the growing erection. It pulsed under the desire of Yosuke's eyes and he kissed it as well, earning a hot sigh from Yuu, burning his lips with the only part of him that wasn't cold.

Yet Yosuke wanted to feel even more of him. He wanted to fill himself with Yuu, he wanted to sink him deep in his flesh, to mark him in his being long-lastingly, but he wasn't sure if he could ever get enough of his lover to endure all the months that it'll take them to meet again.

He abandoned the shaft quickly and let out his tongue to trail a wet trace as he rose, along his groin, abs, chest, neck.

When he reached for Yuu's face, he made a pause to look at his expression. The silver followed every one of Yosuke's moves with glassy, desirous eyes. His cheeks were pinkish and his jaw was slightly dropped, slipping heated gasps of eagerness.

The brunette straddled over his lap audaciously. He took advantage of the gap between his lips and slipped two of his fingers in. Yuu received them gladly and playfully rejoined them, swinging them around in his cavity, soaking them with his warm saliva.

Then for the silver's surprise, Yosuke withdrew them and elevated his hips a few inches.

Yuu observed gawking as his boyfriend took his fingers behind and brazenly slid them inside his own body. "Yosuke…" He whispered astonished.

The male on top whimpered a little with the intrusion and didn't answer anything else. He only concentrated in loosening up his entrance to take Yuu inside as soon as possible. He had never felt his own insides; it felt so hot and wet, that he realized his body was as desperate for his boyfriend as him.

It was strangely comfortable to prepare by himself and so his fingers slipped in rapidly. He could easily move them around and his hips were starting to swing on their own as well.

Instead of feeling self-conscious for doing something so shameless in Yuu's plain sight, he felt sexy, captivating and irresistible. And he became even more so looking at his partner straight in the eyes as he touched himself for him.

Even if he could have been able to cast his look aside, he wouldn't be able to get those eyes off his mind. Those orbs, blistering him completely like dry ice, would be the feeling he'd remember the most.

Yuu wasn't a passive witness anyway. His eyes weren't the only ones groping Yosuke. As he focused on his sensual lover's expressions, his strong hand went across the curved line of Yosuke's waist, buttocks, legs, as the other hand increased more his boyfriend's desire by stirring up his member. Wherever Yuu touched him, his skin seemed to burn up.

With that help, Yosuke was ready in no time. He took his fingers off his entrance and with that same hand he grabbed Yuu's throbbing and impatient cock, putting it up to find his hole, as he held himself up with the other hand from Yuu's shoulder.

The silver held his breath and bit his lower lip, expectantly.

Then, slowly, Yosuke started to descend over the erection, engulfing it sluggishly. Yuu groaned in pleasure with every inch his intimacy was swallowed by that rapturous tightness.

Yosuke didn't stop his way down until he felt the other was completely inside him. Only then, he took a break, gasping. He looked down and met Yuu's gaze on the way, who grinned at him, pleased, and they couldn't help fuse in another deep and doting kiss.

Before their lips parted, Yosuke began raising his hips, slowly, and lowered them again, grazing his insides with that hard manhood. In a moment, the member touched a very soft spot and Yosuke's back bent back and he abandoned the kiss due to intense pleasure, with a resounding moan. He ceased his movement for a second because of the weakness that delight produced and let out some more whining gasps.

Yuu looked to make eye contact with his pleading lover and asked with an amused and teasing tone. "Please, go on." And he encircled the hips before him with his hands to help him move in that erotic way.

Yosuke nodded and obeyed for the sake of finding that sensation again but, at the same time, of returning to Yuu all the ecstasy he had made him feel all along.

His thighs tensed as he began his oscillating movement, up and down. Every thrust of his body against Yuu's sex brushed his prostate, pleasing himself as he satisfied the other. Whenever he was hit in that sweet spot he couldn't refrain the sensual and randy sounds his throat emitted. It was impossible to control such a raw feeling. He loved it; he loved him. To please him; to feel him. To have him all to himself, at least for now.

"You've got such a sexy expression, Yosuke." Yuu tried to taunt his boyfriend in the middle of all that heat.

"It's fine, I don't care." Yosuke said. "Look at me if you want. This is how I really feel for you." He finished, opening his heart completely.

Yuu smiled lightly, grateful with Yosuke for being so honest about his sentiments for him. "I sure will."

Like that their eyes met; as Yosuke performed his winding dance with his hips. They stared at one another, seducing each other silently.

The look of those eyes became hotter and feverish quickly in that suggestive exchange.

Yuu's noises were starting to raise its tone while the brunette sped up the rhythm. He felt the silver's cock twitching and growing. Yuu's hands left his hips and slid up his lover's back, bringing him closer. He then, with the other's chest much closer, took out his tongue and licked at one of his rose nipples.

Yosuke shrank and shut his eyelids before that unknown but enjoyable feeling. It was strange, yet electrical and ecstatic. In that arousal he thought it turned him on even more than the licks he had lavished to his sex.

Yuu continued to enclose the small bud and its pair, pressing it between his lips and encircling it with his tongue, also nibbling and kissing whatever part of Yosuke's chest was within reach, arousing his partner.

Yosuke sensed how the hips below him were also starting to move in a synchronized pace, thrusting even more deeply and faster. His partner was close to the end and he wanted to make him go completely crazy and create an abiding memory that would make up for all the missing time.

The brunette entwined his fingers with the silvery locks and looked to stimulate the place Yuu enjoyed the most: his neck. He licked the snow-white skin languidly but soon he changed for a harsher approach, biting him, as he accelerated his pace, riding over Yuu's erection and exciting his own body.

The waves of pleasure came more and more often as he frantically buried Yuu in him, over and over, and his boyfriend uttered sugary sounds against his chest.

Desperate, Yosuke took his own cock and stroked it as he, aroused, pulled on the silver hair roughly and forced his teeth down on the neck before him, sucking the skin furiously.

Yuu, stoked by that deliciously maddening abuse, groaned excitedly, digging his fingers and scratching Yosuke's back, chanting his name. "Yosuke… Yosuke… Yosuk-" With a faltering plaint that silenced his last word, Yuu poured himself, all his heat, his pain, his adoration for Yosuke inside the one he loved.

Even more incited by his orgasm, with the pulsing organ vibrating in his flesh, Yosuke stabbed a few more times Yuu's manhood in him and climaxed, stifling his moan against Yuu's neck. His seed ran down his now calmer erection as his hand stop eventually.

They remained like that, quietly gasping, their faces hidden; in the chest, one; on the shoulder, the other, observing the crimson love mark on the neck contrasting with the clearest skin.

Yuu's arms suddenly tightened around Yosuke's waist and let out a sigh that sounded suspiciously similar to a sob. He turned his face and placed his ear on Yosuke's ribs, right where he could hear his heart beating agitatedly. "Yosuke" He called with broken voice. "I'm so happy I got to meet you."

Yuu's sweet words hit Yosuke like a pang of pain. His whole face furrowed into a grimace of grief. He laced his own arms and hugged Yuu as strongly as he could, with him still inside, finding letting him go harder each time he spoke.

He had so much to answer to that, but the words died in his chords and wouldn't come out.

_"I don't want to let go of this. I don't want to separate from him. Time, please, stop. Hold your steps for a bit. We only have tonight to share. So, please, let us just stay like this a little longer… ne?"_

"Yuu, I love you." He only managed to say and kept the rest to himself.

* * *

**August 27th**

 The grim train station awaited the two sleepless males who headed there with heavy footsteps, sore bodies and reddened and swollen eyes. Yosuke shot an angry glimpse at the station, cursing it, as if it was the place's fault.

Their friends were all gathered there already, impatiently. It was a little later than the hour agreed to bid the silver farewell. Actually, the couple had delayed at the entrance of the house, before leaving, sharing a long goodbye kiss.

"Hey, you two!" Chie shouted at the two teens arriving. "Why the heck did you leave us alone last night-?"

"Shut up, Chie! I don't want to hear anything about it!" Yosuke snapped back with a tone that left no room for discussion. It had been a long night up of love, sex, farewells and promises that ended up seeming jokingly short, while the sun mocked them as it rose so unexpectedly, and he hadn't any strengths left to argue or hear reproaches.

Yuu glanced at him, affected with his outburst, but sympathetic with his feelings.

"Did you guys fight…? Kuma asked slowly, concerned.

"No, Kuma, it's not that. I'm sorry guys. I know you went to all that trouble for me. It wasn't cool on our part to leave like that." Yuu excused himself heart-feltedly, but didn't reveal any further detail of why they had returned home by themselves.

"That's ok, I guess…" Chie said, still a bit scared of Yosuke's attitude. "As long as you're both fine."

Yosuke huffed and ruffled his hair tiredly, looking away to hide his red eyes, as his friends said goodbye to Yuu one by one. He stood aside of all the long and loving speeches of friendship and care they pronounced, because he couldn't go through that all over again. He had done his part with Yuu already. All his will was set into not breaking down in that place, concealing himself to any other thought.

Only the hopeless sound of the train, clashing with the rails, brought him back to reality. In that moment Yuu neared him with a look in his eyes that said it was time. They hugged. But not as they did in the intimacy of their house; they shared a short, masculine hug. Yosuke patted Yuu's back, when his lungs were tightly repressing a sob.

_"Good bye, my best friend. Good bye, my first love."_

The silver turned his back to him and headed towards the upcoming train, not without first waving to the group, as cheerfully as possible.

The machine stopped lazily in front of its soon-to-be passenger and opened its doors with a sighing sound.

The moment Yuu crossed that door it wouldn't be possible to stop him anymore, to retain him or beg him to stay again. There wouldn't be a turning back from that point. And Yosuke didn't think he'd have the strength to see that moment with his own eyes.

Yuu stepped inside the coach and dropped his bag to the floor to soon turn around as the door closed. He raised his hand to wave one more time, but he lowered it slowly with a deeply disappointed face. He touched with his fingertips the glass of the window, as if he was trying to reach for someone.

The train retook its way, with unhurriedness at first, and almost all of the teenagers yelled and waved his goodbye wishes to him. The machine rapidly disappeared into the distance, taking their friend with it to a far off place.

"Mmn? Where is Yosuke-senpai?" Rise asked suddenly.

The party turned and looked around for said male, but there was not a trace of him to be seen, except a trail of small teardrops darkening the pavement, distancing away from the station.

**~~ Not The End ~~**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, it's sad, but there wasn't a possible happy ending for them, this time. This is the end of this story, but it's not the end of their story. There are a couple of extras but I don't know if I'll post both here or as different, separeted works. So, check my dashboard if you are interested ^_^ 
> 
> Thanks a lot for following the story so far, for the comments, kudos and patience :)


	17. Extra I: To white-hot Xmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The two extras of this fic were kind of an experiment for me; I tried to do something different, out-of-the-comfort-zone on both of them; I hope you still find it easy and fun to read :)

**December 25th**

 

_"Moshi moshi."_

His cool voice echoed through the line and in the ears on the other end once again. They called each other every day and yet, that heart always quickened when he heard it again. Maybe it was the distance, perhaps the longing or the pain. He would have liked to transmit all of that, but as usual, words betrayed him:  ** _"Hey."_**

_"Hey. What's up?"_

**_"Not much, really. There never is. I just wanted to say hi for Christmas."_**  He wriggled on the messy beddings, a bit uneasy. He wished sometimes that he would finally get used to not having him by his side.

_"Thank you. Merry Christmas to you too."_  He sighed melancholically. What wouldn't he give to trade places for only one minute with that damn plastic machine, so he could whisper directly to his ears, smell the scent of his hair, embrace him, if only for a moment.  _"I miss you, Yosuke."_

**_"Ah-... always so honest...Me too."_**  The brunette choked with surprised. Almost daily he heard those words, but it just didn't get easier to say them back bluntly.

_"How was your day?"_

**_"Same as all the rest."_ **

_"Did you receive any presents?"_  The silver asked shrewdly.

**_"You mean in the mail?"_**  He asked obliviously.

_"Maybe."_

**_"I did. And it was quite a cheesy one. I wonder who'd send something like that."_**  He mocked, hiding his real thoughts.

_"You can throw it away if you don't like it."_  The older one knew his partner well enough to understand his true feelings and know he would never do something like that, but sometimes it was simply easier to pretend he didn't.

**_"Really?"_**  The brunette asked flushed.  ** _"I did like it. Thank you."_**  He smiled and lifted his hand to look at it. He was sure it would fit his lover so much better; like everything did.

_"I'm glad, then…"_  All he ever wanted was to make him happy and show his deep feelings for him every chance he had. It was so difficult to exist somewhere other than beside him. And it wasn't only in spirit he missed him; his body had started demanding him for quite a while. He wanted a small dose of him at least. The cheeky grin on his lips was evident even through the phone before he continued talking.  _"Yosuke..."_

**_"Yes?"_ **

_"What are you wearing?"_

**_"Don't be stupid."_**  Ah, his silly boyfriend, always trying to find innovative ideas to embarrass him.

_"Come on, tell me."_

**_"Seriously, you..."_**  He sighed, giving in, certain that he would sooner or later.  ** _"I'm not wearing anything special. My red pants, socks, a yellow shirt."_**

_"The shirt that I like?"_

**_"Oh, right, that one."_ **

_"Why don't you undo the first button?"_

**_"Why would I do that?"_**  The brunette complained, wary.

_"Indulge me."_

**_"Mmm..."_**  He gave it an instant of though and then his hands dubiously revealed a small part of his skin, as he held the mobile with his shoulder.  ** _"Ok, it's done."_**

_"Good. Are you cold?"_  He whispered quietly.

**_"No."_**  The suspicious teen answered in the same dry tone.

_"Then why don't you undo the second one?"_

**_"Where are you going with this?"_ **

_"Just playing."_ His voice sounded a little raspier.  _"Now the third."_

The younger male sure didn't trust this, but he agreed, because, deep down, his curiosity was stronger. ** _"Done."_**

_"I bet you look even more appetizing."_  As he closed his eyes he could perfectly dream of him; his image in his mind was a sweet sight for his eyes, so sore from not seeing him for too long. So, he tried his luck:  _"Now slide your hand inside your clothes and find your nipple."_

**_"No!"_**  The brunette knew it wasn't a good idea right away. Not because he disliked it that much; he was silently scared that this would only make him miss the other's touch more and more.

_"Shhh... simply imagine it's my hand."_  He instructed, with a tiny trace of sparks in his voice. The far away teen was extremely fascinated by the idea of his dear touching himself; he hadn't forgotten the rush he felt that last night, when his lover played with himself right before him. He had to get more.  _"I'll do whatever you want too."_

**_"Yeah? So what if I tell you to suck yourself?"_**  He mocked that questionable idea.

_"I could try; but if you hear something loud it's because I fell off the bed."_ The silver-haired answered that absurdity with the same stolidness as ever.

And the brunette couldn't help to snort at that comment.  ** _"Idiot... I wouldn't suck you, anyway."_**

_"Oh?"_

**_"Nah, too troublesome. I wasn't born to shove dicks in my throat... like you."_**  He tried to taunt his lover, for once.

_"No, you were meant to have them up your butt, weren'tyou?"_  But he was too proud and clever to let it slide.

**_"Screw you."_ **

_"Whenever you want..."_  He let out in a suggestive, inviting murmur.

The younger one swallowed hard.  ** _"I-I'll think about it..."_**  The silver always threw these unexpected proposals so casually, so easily, messing with his head and his fantasies. He was an expert in turning him on.  ** _"Let's just go ahead."_**

_"Are you starting to like this?"_  The brunette on the other end only groaned in response.  _"So, as I said, slide your hand inside your shirt, stroke your chest softly with your fingers and then tease your small nipple."_  Even before his words came out, he had the mental vision of his partner following his commands.  _"You know? Before our last time, I had always wanted play with them."_

**_"I'm sure you did. Then, raise your hand and touch your earlobes... and your neck. I know that makes you crazy."_ **

_"It really does."_  The silver teen began to press with his fingertips the exact spot that made him weak, pretending they were Yosuke's wild teeth attacking it; how much could someone miss a bite? His body raged with insatiate lust, growing with each passing day he spent away from his desire.  _"Is your nipple hard?"_

**_"Yes; and that's not the only thing hard in here. You're kinda good at this."_**  He had to acknowledge, while the excitement rose slowly.

_"It's because you inspire me so much."_

**_"Shut up. You're simply a dirty-talk fetishist."_ **

_"You know it."_  He laughed at that, not considering it an insult in the slightest.  _"Then, pinch it and, maybe, tug it."_

**_"Nng... It feels strange."_**  The boy played with the pinkish bud, slowly trying to lose his inhibitions. If only those were Yu's hands groping him, it'd be glorious.

_"Good strange?"_

**_"Great strange."_**  He let his voice fall to a lower tone.  ** _"Actually, it feels so good that I'dlean near your ear andsound like this…"_** The brunette moaned quietly on the mic:  ** _"'Mmm... aah~... ngah~…'"_**

_"..."_  A complete soundlessness filled the line suddenly.

**_"Yu?"_ **

_"A-ah, sorry. That was... pretty bold coming from you. It surprised me."_  The silver finally returned to his senses after such a breathtaking action coming from his boyfriend. Apparently, talking behind the security of the phone did have some advantages.

**_"Did you like it?"_ **

_"A lot."_

**_"Then don't make me feel self-conscious about it and go on!"_**  He scolded across the phone.

_"You're right, sorry."_  Ah, his cute boy; his traces of innocence only made the silver long for him more.

**_"But, since we're on the subject..."_**  He spoke carelessly, as if it wasn't his idea.  ** _"Why don't you take your hand down, unzip your pants and see how much you did like it."_**

_"Let's see."_ His hands looked for the rim of his clothes to desperately confirm what he already felt.  _"Wow, it seems I enjoyed it too much."_

**_"Is it b-big?"_**  He practically panted the question.

_"I don't know. You tell me."_

**_"You're quite big."_**  The mere memory of Yu's sex awakened his own body; his crotch tickled and hardened.

_"I'll keep it in mind, then."_  The older male smirked, full of himself, even more stirred up with that compliment.  _"Remember the first time you touched me? That time after your mom interrupted us, for dinner?"_

**_"Of course I remember. You practically forced me to it."_**  The brunette recalled with a grin, closing his eyes to savour it more vividly, letting his mouth fall to deepen his breath. He wanted those days to return so bad; he couldn't take one more day alone.

_"Did I?"_  The silver voice let out a soft giggle.  _"Do you remember what I said?"_

**_"'If I don't get my dessert, then you don't get yours either.'"_**  The other recited, certain.

_"Your memory is still good."_

**_"That was the first time you touched me like that too."_** He put away the mobile, let it rest on his pillow and put it on speaker, leaving his hands free for the game to start. Unnoticed, he had fallen into this play and didn't seem to want to escape anymore.

_"And you gripped me so tight..."_  He exhaled roughly and let his partner know he was also remembering it with his hands.

**_"I was nervous."_ **

_"You were cute."_

**_"Don't call a guy cute."_**  Not that he truly minded; he was starting to reach that place where Yu always took him, where nothing mattered anymore, except for his desires.

_"But you were. I had to guide you on what to do, as if you'd never done it before."_  He shut his eyes tightly so nothing could delete that lovely image from his mind; his yet pure and ashamed boy shyly obeying him for the first time.  _"I told you to go up... and down... always so tight. Only then I put my hands on you."_  He just touched slowly, just about enough to save his oncoming ending.

**_"I was so focused on it that I didn't even realizeit; only when I felt your cold hand touching me."_**  The distant unzipping sound resounded on the other speaker. A profound sigh was let out. ** _"Thank God it's winter."_**  If he focused only on the enticing sound of his voice, maybe, only maybe, he could feel for a second that it was truly him.

_"And do you remember the first time I touched you down there?"_ The memory drew a sugary moan from his ardent love across the line that sweetened his ears.  _"I made you lick my fingers yourself."_  He tortured his own mind with the intimate recall of those yet unravished lips.

**_"You tricked me into it."_**  He lied before his tongue peeped out shyly.

The silver-haired heard the slippery sounds of his boyfriend's fingers sinking inside his mouth and he couldn't contain a groan knowing he was preparing them to touch himself.  _"No, you knew what was coming and you were just too hot to refuse, just like you are right now."_  His voice got huskier before his own thoughts.  _"Feel it. Feel how hot you are."_

Those hands swiftly followed the so awaited command. He let out an uncomfortable whimper as he submerged the digits inside.  ** _"I really am."_**  It took his body a moment to accept that intrusion after so much time. But if it was Yu, it'd yield at once.  ** _"And tight, real tight… because you haven't played with me in so long."_**  He finished with a small whining.

_"And I'll make it up for you soon."_  His voice began to falter a bit as he envisioned in his mind the lustful body of the brunette lying down on the bed, stretching his sweetest part thinking about him, aching for him so heatedly. That mental image threatened to blow up his mind.  _"But right now I need you to touch that tight pretty ass for me. Slowly, very slowly; don't cheat."_

The other moaned quietly with the brazen request and arched his back as he sank his fingers deeply into himself.  ** _"And why don't you wet it up a little? Drench your cock, a lot, or it won't slide from how tight I want you to grab it."_**

_"As you wish."_  His sensual voice faded as he widened his mouth and begun licking his palms. Harsh breaths interspersed on the phone with the watery sounds of his tongue playing around his hand, a feast to the younger one's ears and imagination.

**_"Now rub yourself for me."_**  He asked in low tones, mesmerized.

_"It drives me insane to hear you speak like that."_  The silver male confessed. He was out of himself listening to those unchaste words from his brunette's mouth, making him lose the tiny remains of composure he had left.  _"I want you to use both of your hands. I want you to dig in really hard now and stroke your dick really softly. I know you like it that way."_

**_"I do."_**  His previously steady hands started to move faster, reflecting those movements on his breath. He shivered, desperate, plunging into that bittersweet madness of unfulfilled wishes.  ** _"But it's not the same. I miss you. I miss the touch of your hands, your fingers, your tongue…"_** He groaned to that last though, picking up speed, feeling each of those parts still engraved on him.

_"I know. I miss you too, Yosuke. I want you."_ His hands danced to the tune of his appetite.  _"I want to make love to you. I want to feel your tightness around my cock. I want to have you moaning for me. I want you to ask me for more."_  That beautiful sexy voice, said everything almost unfaltering, never changing, freezing the line, making the brunette boil with those impure proposals, all of which he longed for himself.  _"Tell me you want me too."_

**_"I want that too. I want you to fuck me."_**  His words had a will of their own and jumped off his lips while his mind was confused with sensual fever. Once they started, it was impossible to stop. ** _"I want to ride you again. Fuck myself with you. Deep and hard."_**  His movements were frantic, imagining how his silverette used to feel inside him. How was his heart still beating, he still breathing without him inside?

_"Yes… yes…"_  The other one panted roughly. Even if he sounded cold, he was so hot that his brains melted hearing his boyfriend talking such dirty and yet, for him, doting words, whilst he abused himself too, spellbound.

**_"I want you to pin me to the bed. I want you to forget once and for all about all your thoughtfulness and hit me so harsh and so fast…aagh… because it's been too fucking long, Yu, too fucking long…"_ **

_"God, I love hearing you moan."_  He shuddered with that lusty distant resonance and the delightful offerings. His lover then rewarded him with one more of those teasing plaints, just to stoke him some more. He could keep pleasing his ears with them forever, if he wasn't so near his limit. It had been, truly, too long.  _"I promise you I'll do that. I'll fuck your brains out, my bad boy. But now I want you to come for me, I want to hear it. Will you do that for me?"_

**_"Yes, I'm close… very close."_**  He managed to say somehow between his incessant whimpering.

_"That's right, go harder."_  The older one begged, barely able to speak.

**_"Yeah…"_**  The brunette drove his fingers in faster and faster, applying more powerful thrusts each time; slipping his sex in and out of his hand quickly.  ** _"Pump that cock faster."_**

_"You too…"_  He asked once more, his voice trembling, stroking himself so tightly and rapidly his palm felt like burning.  _"Aah… Yosuke…"_

The young one moaned loudly to the so loved music of his name on the other's lips, during that ecstatic moment of irrationality when his lover couldn't utter any other words anymore, lost inside of him.

The silver rejoiced in that delicious cry of the other and for a short while he felt inside his heaven one more time.

They both had nothing left on their minds other than the picture of one another lost in the addictive pain and pleasure of enjoying of the other like this. They moved their hands in synch, like they were face to face. For those few agonising seconds they didn't exchange words, but heated moans, whimpers and gasps, sending each other the sounds of their love and ardour.

The brunette let out a scream the silver knew very well, as the ecstasy consumed every bit of him almost painfully. It threw them both over the edge, their bodies and hearts exploding together.

They rested finally, their arms sore, their hearts content, panting quietly into the line. It wasn't even nearly enough to fill the void, but it gave their bodies a bit of the peace their souls couldn't yet have. No, it wasn't the same. But for an infinitely small moment, they were so connected the miles between them disappeared and they were side by side, hearing the other breathe.

Before that proximity became too real, before it led them to believe that somehow they were respiring the same air, they moved slowly in their own beddings, still in silence.

Until, the silver one spoke with a slightly annoying tint.  _"Yosuke…"_

As the blood rushed back to his head, the brunette begun regretting all the material he had just given his boyfriend to tease and harass him. He spoke through clenched teeth, to make perfectly his point across.  ** _"If you say as much as one teasing word about what just happened…"_**

_"I just wanted to tell you…"_  His speech, subtle at first, turned at once into a devilish smirk.  _"…that you were sooo good today."_

**_"Stop it."_**  He warned, flustered.

_"It must be a Christmas miracle. My boyfriend just masturbated for me."_

**_"I'm hanging up."_ **

The silver chuckled and decided to stop it for today; he didn't want to ruin his dear's good mood.  _"No, wait! Don't go, please…"_  He begged gently, moving the heart of his boyfriend despite how much that teen hated it.

**_"Ok."_**  He let it slide this time to change the topic.  ** _"Hey, did you call me 'my bad boy' a while ago?"_**  Only now he realised his partner's strange words.

_"Did I?"_  The other asked obliviously.

**_"Dude, don't ever call me that again."_**  He said as he shook his head no, laughing the awkwardness off.  ** _"It creeps the hell out of me."_**

_"Does it make you feel too gay?"_

**_"I'm not-! ... gay."_**  The perturbed male chocked on his words, trying to volume down, concerned that it might hurt his boyfriend's feelings.  ** _"I just happen to be into you and that's it."_**

_"Then that makes me even happier."_  The older one reassured and soothed him with his comforting nature. Maybe he shouldn't have said that so abruptly. However, the other smiled appeased and that's all the silver needed to hear.  _"Thank you for doing this for me, Yosuke. I love you."_

The brunette yawned skilfully and pretended not to hear those last words.  ** _"I'm sleepy because of you now. I want to nap."_** He stretched out with a grunt, ready to doze off right there and then.

_"Don't… I don't want to leave you just yet."_  The silver asked, apprehensive. He couldn't wait another day, it was now or never.

**_"You're paying for my phone bill this month."_**  The teen complained.

_"You know I wouldn't mind that. But… I don't want to talk on the phone anymore."_

**_"That's why I'm saying, let me hang up and I'll call you again later."_**  He huffed as he didn't understand what was going on in his partner's mind.

_"I don't mean now. I mean ever."_

The brunette widened his eyes, unsure how to react to that. For now, he was scared.  ** _"…w-what are you saying?"_**

_"Yosuke, let's move to Tokyo, together."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mou~~ this Yuu and his proposals! xOx what's Yosuke going to say?  
> It's the first time I ever wrote about phone sex, so I only take positive opinions e_e Ok, no xD
> 
> I think the other extra will really be in a different work, because it's the beggining of the continuation I planed, so I'll start a series to put all the Persona fics want to write... whenever I find time, that is~~


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